Raison d'être
by Nowherefast
Summary: The reason for his death? Altruism, self-sacrifice, and redemption. However, the friends he counted on have moved on. Yet, Minato Arisato is not ready for this to be the end. P3FESxP3P, Small doses of P4 material
1. Prologue 1: Destiny Denied?

**A/N**: Hi there, I'm Nowherefast and as usual let me get the formalities done with. Persona 3 and all of its characters and anything affiliated are the property of Atlus, and of course I do not own any of it. This is purely a fan fiction with no intent at profit and created solely for the pleasure fellow fans of the series.

Now that's out of the way, I will use the naming convention of Minato Arisato and Hamuko Arisato in this story. Personally, I just think Minako sounds too similar to Minato and that would confuse me as I write chapters. I will pull material primarily from P3 FES and P3P. The story will revolve around the consequences and twists Minato experiences in his return to the living.

This goes to the next point in that I have no set schedule for writing chapters because my free time is sporadic. Optimistically, this story will be long but without pacing problems.

Thank you to rEpose for being my beta reader and sorting through my mediocre grammar and ideas.

Of course, reviews and comments would be welcome and encouraged.

Finally, thanks to the reader for spending your time here, and without further ado…

* * *

**Prologue Part 1: Destiny Denied?**

**March 31st, 2010, Final Battle Site, Evening **

Silence permeated the void as the sinister presence receded.

"Was it really over?" was the thought in everyone's mind.

The grief and negativity of human emotion receded as the members of S.E.E.S had defeated Erebus. Everyone exhaled and had tired smiles on their faces. Their struggle was over. Even though Erebus would eventually return, it was time to honor his memory by changing the hearts of those that yearn for Nyx one person at a time.

"I'm ready to start the morning of April 1st," Yukari said with a smile.

"Everyone, let's go back," Mitsuru added.

"Of course!" responded Aigis and with that everyone left, back to Iwatodai Dormitory.

That is, everyone that could leave. The one person who remained could hardly be described as alive, but he was still sentient. He observed the same events as his friends had in the Abyss of Time. Minato Arisato was the stone statue on the Great Seal watching vigilantly for humanity's call for destruction, Erebus. The blue-haired teen had reached his full potential, yet there were growing doubts in his mind if this was really his destiny. His friends had left and he felt a pang of regret that he couldn't join them.

"Why? Why are you all leaving? Friends? These are my friends? I-I don't want to suffer alone," was his lament.

Once again, Minato was alone with a burden that no person should have. The singular determination to protect all the people he had met since he arrived at Tatsumi Port Island began to waver.

The Great Seal began to rust as its host became weaker in will and angry at his friends for not finding a way to save him. His friends would get to see the morning of April 1st with their own eyes. Minato began to feel something beyond anger for his friends; he loathed them. The bitterness consumed his mind and the seal began to deteriorate in earnest until the stone encasing Minato's body crumbled away.

His body fell to the ground and he struggled to breathe, but it seemed he was very much alive.

"I should be dead," he muttered without preamble. Was this really his own body? Moreover, the seal no longer existed. What did this all mean? Regardless, he needed to get out of here. He followed the same door that the other S.E.E.S members had used to leave.

As he arrived, the Abyss of Time was on the verge of disappearing, similar to the way Tartarus had vanished. While the rest of his friends had gone to the Velvet Room, Minato did not have the true key to open the front door of the dormitory. He went back to his old room to see if his evoker was there, but the door did not budge.

With impending doom imminent, he collapsed on his knees and muttered, "Well, I guess this is it," which was an understatement, but Minato had always been calm even in situations that would qualify as a crisis. At that moment, the door to Minato Arisato's room became unsealed, but the Abyss of Time dissolved.


	2. Prologue 2: That Fateful Day

**A/N: **I am not that fond of flashbacks, but think it is important to really flesh out the past. So, this is the second part of the prologue out of a total of three. The third part will set up the real story. I will respond to reviews regularly in the A/N depending on their amount. Minor edit to the first chapter so readers will actually know it is the first part of the prologue.

Thank you to rEpose for being my beta.

Reviewer thoughts:

Anon: I'm glad you like the premise behind the story and seem to enjoy it so far. It has been a pet project in my mind for some time. I don't really do crossovers because they are hard to keep track of who is who. Thanks for the review.

The Fool's Journey: Indeed, I agree it was pretty short for a prologue. I think it was partly deliberate so people don't get confused by venue changes. Also, I will admit I didn't really know how to extend the venue without making Minato sort of hang around… bad joke but I digress. Hopefully, I will explain better in the next chapter and thanks for pointing it out. Thanks for the review.

Yuruya: Agreed, the pacing was a bit too fast. It was partly on purpose though and yeah it is a prologue I forgot to put that somewhere in the first chapter thanks for pointing that out. I will say up front it will not be a continuation story because I do not think I would be able to write more than a one-shot if it was and don't want to disappoint you. I can't answer the question about Hamuko since it would be a spoiler. Thanks for the review.

* * *

**Prologue Part 2: That Fateful Day**

**April 6****th****, 1999, Port Island (Undisclosed Laboratory 11:55 P.M.)**

Sounds of scientists working feverishly were barely audible as heavy rain fell on the windows. The following events would alter the future, placing a burden on those too young to understand the hardships they would suffer.

"It's nearly done. I will become king of the new world. With Death awakened I will have power beyond imagination," said Koutesu Kirijo. His eyes bulged and he began panting in anticipation.

The goal that he had invested so much in was about to come to fruition. The scientists were in the last stages of finishing the experiments on Shadows. There was nothing to stop The Fall now. His plan would allow him to harness the power of Shadows and change the course of history as he saw fit.

Eiichiro Takeba knew that this was his last opportunity to prevent this catastrophe from being released to the world. He had let his curiosity of Shadows and the recognition he received from the Kirijo group as a scientist get to his head. Everything had started off innocently as Koutesu's vision and ambition seemed to intoxicate the imaginations of the brilliant minds on the project. Over time however it had quickly devolved into a monstrosity.

At that moment, Eiichiro remembered the reason for joy in his life, his daughter Yukari. While he was not able to spend much time with her, he felt like the happiest man in the world when they were together. The memories came flooding back to him. Like the time when Yukari first learned to say "Daddy" and when she first learned to walk. He didn't want to throw it all away.

He knew he had to do everything in his power to prevent Koutesu's maniacal dream from becoming reality. It meant that he would have to break the promise he made to his daughter. Death would be a respite from the guilt that had gathered in his heart like an abyss, yet the sadness of his daughter growing up without him was unbearable.

_The sounds of glass shattering and the screams of others began to surround Takeba._

"Yukari, forgive me. I love you," were the last words spoken by Eiichiro Takeba.

Meanwhile, Minato began to stir as an explosion was heard in the distance. The ground was cold and unforgiving as the rain tapered off. How he got here was a question he could save for later because a building was on fire close by. The blue-haired teen shook off the cobwebs and began to stumble away from the blaze. Familiar landmarks passed his peripheral vision as his legs seemed to carry him to no particular destination.

"What the heck is going on? And it's a full moon" he thought looking toward the heavens.

Minato had understandably become suspicious of full moons due to his journeys in Tartarus. He couldn't shake off the queasy feeling in his gut and arrived at a familiar looking bridge. There was no doubt about it, this was the Moonlight Bridge where he had fought the Hanged Man Arcana. It was also where his parents had died. As if on cue, he could hear a car approaching.

A little girl cried in the backseat of a car driven by her parents because she wanted to stay home. It had been a lousy trip in Hamuko's opinion because the weather had been rotten most of the time.

"Now, now Hamuko, stop crying, we're almost home now," a soothing motherly voice stated. The car was nearing the Moonlight Bridge.

Without warning, a dark figure appeared on the bridge and blocking the roadway. Hamuko's father blared on the horn, but the figure didn't move. Hamuko's father veered the car out of control on the slick pavement. The car skidded and rolled a couple of times before stopping on its side near the bridge's ledge, eventually catching on fire.

Acting on instinct, Minato moved towards the burning vehicle, trying to rescue the victims. No matter how confused he was, there was a fear in his heart that he knew who was inside. It was already too late for the front passengers, but the child was relatively unharmed due to being in a child seat. To Minato's surprise, the child was not a younger version of himself, but rather a girl. He pulled the girl out of the car and to safety before the flames endangered them both.

"Are you alright?" he asked the auburn-headed child. There was no response at first, but she nodded her head slowly. Minato let out an involuntary shudder since the people he had witnessed burning were his own parents. Tears formed in his eyes as he had repressed this memory before, but now had to watch it happen all over again.

Hamuko was in a state of shock at what just happened, but wondered why the stranger who saved her was crying in such a pained way. He seemed to have just appeared out of the blue to help her in such a dire situation.

"Target acquired," a robotic voice said as it glided gracefully towards the scene.

Aigis entered the fray and began to fight Death, raining a hail of bullets on her enemy. Death seemed unfazed by the barrage from its android counterpart. She quickly became aware the weakened shadow was still too powerful to defeat by conventional means.

In silence, Minato watched the scene unfold, already aware of the outcome. With no evoker or means to fight Death, Minato felt rather powerless standing in front of the child. However, even though he had no means to fight, he felt a strange attachment to the child. This was his fate and his responsibility even though he wasn't sure why the past had changed.

"Suitable vessel identified, clearing obstruction," and without warning Aigis began charging Minato who was protecting Hamuko. Minato had a peculiar feeling that he was the obstruction and that Aigis' real target was the child.

"Dammit, do you realize what you're doing?" bellowed Minato.

Aigis seemed to not be listening and knocked the wind out of Minato. He began to lose consciousness, his vision getting blurrier by the second.

"Ugh, Ai-gis… stop."

The sound of her name by this stranger caused the blonde to stop her assault.

"Identify yourself," she remonstrated. Had she met this person before? No, she didn't know of any other humans except for the ones back at the laboratory.

Minato's last thoughts as Aigis stood over him were, "Why am I so worthless…?" Hamuko had curled into a ball out of fear nearby.

* * *

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room, my dear young man."


	3. Prologue 3: Fragments

**A/N: **Hmm, not too much to say this time around. This chapter took longer than I thought because I went through a couple of iterations. The main idea in the chapter near the end is really what convinced me to write this story in the first place because it resonated with me. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews.

Updated to fix the grammar issues, many thanks to my beta.

Thanks to rEpose for being my beta reader and greyarts for listening to my rampant ideas about this story.

Ari Moriarty: Thank you, for the reviews. I tried to capture Aigis' voice from P3 when she is most robotic. Basically, when the party first meets her. Also, I'm glad you like my literary voice! Hopefully, I can continue to craft a half-decent story.

Sillyfudgemonkeys: Thanks for the review and hopefully this chapter will explain why his mind changed so fast though you seemed to enjoy the earlier chapters. Hopefully, this chapter will sow the seeds for the rest of the story.

* * *

Chapter 3: Fragments

The room came into focus as a familiar voice beckoned to Minato. An ethereal light caused him to squint, as Igor's long nose and bloodshot eyes came into focus. It seemed Minato was back in the Velvet Room, which had hardly changed since his last visit.

The only difference was that Elizabeth wasn't present, but instead someone he didn't recognize.

In Elizabeth's place was a woman with silvery hair and a deep blue dress that matched the décor of the Velvet Room. The gentle waves of her hair gleamed in the light as the elevator ascended. She looked calm and cool as she stood in the Velvet Room, like it was where she naturally belonged. However, her sharp golden eyes fixed on Minato's face made him a bit uncomfortable.

"I am delighted that you have returned to us," Igor said, raising his white-gloved hand. "This is Margaret. She is my new assistant."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Elizabeth's elder sister" she said, and for a second Minato felt that she gave him a small smile, but it was a fleeting moment."

"What happened to Elizabeth?" asked Minato, turning to Igor, as he didn't want to appear impolite by staring at Margaret. Minato fidgeted a bit with his chair because it seemed less comfortable than he remembered.

"It is a story that I can explain to you another time, but rest assured that you will see her again. Now, I am sure that you wondering about the events that you have seen in such a short frame of time," Igor intoned. "I will do my best to answer your queries."

Minato didn't know really where to begin, but thought that the beginning was as good of a place to start. His memories seemed fragmented before he had gotten to the Velvet Room. However, things seemed much clearer in his head now.

"Why did the Great Seal melt away?" was the most pertinent thing that Minato could think of asking.

"How much do you remember when you were the Great Seal?" Igor answered Minato with another question instead of an answer, which annoyed Minato a little.

"I remember how just as I was about to become the seal my friends seemed to appear. They fought Erebus and won. I could sense everything that was going on even if it was a bit murky at the time," Minato recollected.

"The seal dissolved because it required a life essence that is infallible to its duty. In your case, to impede humanity from calling forth Erebus, who in turn calls forth Nyx. Unfortunately, the sudden appearance of your friends caused your will to temporarily waver," Igor said.

"I didn't expect to see my friends there," Minato said. "It confused me as I was sure they were still at Tartarus' apex," Minato added.

"But why do I even know about what happened Igor? Why should I know about anything after I became the seal?"

"Do you remember what I said when you first arrived at the Velvet Room?" Igor asked patiently.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…" Minato recited. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"When your friends decided to go back in time, they temporarily merged their consciousness with yours," Igor explained. "As a result, the flow of time stopped and you became aware of their actions. The fabric of their memories was sewn inside your soul, and when you entered the Velvet Room their memories became yours."

"Their actions have unintentionally altered your destiny, yet maybe these turn of events occurred for a reason," Igor added with a slight grin.

The word "destiny" made something in Minato's mind slip. It seemed "destiny" was the cause of everything terrible that had happened to him.

"Are you saying that I should have just ignored them and pretended nothing was happening while I was losing my life?" Minato's voice was rising in anger. "I didn't deserve any of your so-called 'destiny,' and they didn't deserve to leave thinking that everything was fine!" He rose from his seat and looked for a way to leave; he had heard enough.

"You are angry and that is understandable, but hear the rest of what my master has to say." Margaret had risen from her seat. Her aura was overwhelming as she instructed him to take his seat again.

After a few moments Minato managed to calm down and sat down again. Was he always this irascible? Usually, he was laid back to a fault, but something was different now.

"I, I… was alone," Minato slowly mumbled, "Why me? I didn't have any special ability before that incident. Why should I bear the burden of so many people who I don't even know or care about?"

Igor continued as if nothing had happened.

"You failed to mention the latter part of what I said when we first met," he said. "Only those who have signed the contract may enter this place, which means that your original contract has not expired yet. I was sure you would return when the contract did not vanish when you became the seal.

A shrug of the shoulders was all Minato offered and this seemed to light a fire in Igor.

"You returned here for a reason!" Igor animatedly told him. "It is crucial that you understand this fact. The full power of the Wild Card that you used had the power to bring about a new beginning, or an ultimate end. I think you can see now that it was the former and not the latter."

Minato continued to listen.

"I am certain you are beginning to understand the fragments now. There is another reason that the seal broke. I am referring to the change in your mentality," Igor succinctly said. "You no longer have the power of the Wild Card as you used all of it in becoming the seal. However, your current situation is one that you must bear responsibility for."

He brought out a Tarot card that Minato had seen many times before in his social links. It was the Hanged Man Arcana, but the image was upside down.

"The Hanged Man Arcana in the upright position represents self-sacrifice for the sake of enlightenment, the bindings that makes one free, paradoxes and hanging between heaven and earth. It can represent ultimate altruism and the self-sacrifice one must make to save or redeem another, all in the name of greater good," stated Igor.

"Wait!" Minato exclaimed. "Do you mean to say that I no longer have the Fool Arcana? The description you just said sounds too similar to what happened in the last battle. Self-sacrifice for the greater good and hanging between heaven and earth," Minato said to no one in particular.

"If you need further proof look at the chair you are sitting in," Igor indicated.

Minato turned around in his seat and noticed that the chair was no longer that of a lyre, but a regular design. The lyre had represented his connection with Orpheus and indicated his affinity for the Fool Arcana.

Igor continued his explanation. "However, the current position of this card indicates your current mentality that you must have started to notice already. When you fought the Arcana Hanged Man the shadow was in the air, for it refused to help others, preferring to stay egotistical and selfish."

The sudden reality of the situation began to set in for Minato. He began to understand the bitterness he felt for his friends and not wanting to help people who otherwise would be obliterated by Nyx. Igor had said he had returned for a reason, though Minato was unsure what could be done at this point.

"Am I able to change my mindset Igor?" Minato asked.

"The facing of the card is not permanent and will switch according to how well you can control it," was Igor's reply.

"When you say the facing of the card do you mean I can only summon persona of the Hanged Man Arcana now?" Minato asked with some dread.

"Yes, you no longer have the power of the Wild Card and I must warn you that your current power is a double-edged sword. You must take precaution in keeping it under control. However, I am sure that you will find a use for both sides of your power."

"What am I supposed to do? If I'm no longer the seal there is nothing blocking Nyx from being called again, is there?" Minato asked.

In the back of Minato's mind he recalled what had happened just before he had returned to the Velvet Room. The girl, would she be the one that would end up sacrificing herself to stop Nyx?

"Before I forget I have to ask you about what I saw just before I got here. That was my past, yet I saw someone I never met," Minato recalled. "Is she somehow related to me? She was with my parents the day they died."

"I am not certain why your memories of the past would be altered. I can offer a hypothesis that she is your replacement," Igor theorized. "If that makes her your sister I do not know.

"So, she will go through exactly what I did in the past year when she grows up? Why can't anyone stop this from happening? She's going to suffer needlessly just because other people want to die," Minato could not believe what Igor had told him.

"It is your choice which path you choose as Erebus will return in one year to call forth Nyx again regardless of your decision. Your friends' victory was temporary."

"What do you mean that I have a choice Igor?" Minato was sure he wouldn't like the sound of what the choices would entail.

"You can decide to go back when you returned to Port Island. Or you could go back to the present," Igor said matter-of-factly. "The result of both choices as it stands is that Nyx will return unless you change it."

"What good can I possibly do? I no longer have the power to do anything. I might as well just stay here in ignorant bliss," Minato replied.

There was an awkward lull in the conversation.

Words formed in Minato's mind of what Nyx's Avatar had said at the last battle.

"You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all your will… if more people were like you, then perhaps the Fall could have been prevented…"

He was just one person, what could Minato possibly do before the Fall came again?

"Would you be satisfied with that decision?" Igor stated in a flat voice. "I will support your decision, no matter what choice you make, though you will be the one that lives with the consequences."

Minato knew all too well what Igor was saying.

"If I return to the past, can I actually change anything?" This seemed like a naïve thing to repeat, but Minato wanted some assurance it would be worth going back if he did.

"You must be careful of what you alter, but I would imagine that opportunities will represent themselves in due time," Igor added with a bit of finality. "Your social links will not remember you, but you must find your way with the resources that you have."

Igor hoped that his guest would be willing to take advantage of the hand dealt by fate. Minato had been a remarkable guest and Igor wished the teen would make the right choice.

"Well then, I bid you farewell, my dear young man" Igor said.

The Velvet Room slowly faded from Minato's view.

He had made his decision.


	4. Chapter 4: Advent

**A/N: **So, I posted the previous chapter a couple of hours before going to sleep. I wake up the next morning and my email has a lot of notifications from readers who have begun following the story, which is great. I haven't experienced writer's block yet so hurray for that. Waiting for my beta to help me with my grammar mistakes the previous chapter and this one as well.

Chapter is updated without my various grammar issues!

Thanks to greyarts for listening again and rEpose, my beta reader.

arkbar22: Thanks, I'm still determining how long I want the chapters. It's an ongoing process, but I'm glad you like where the story so far. As for possible pairings I have not really decided yet. I will probably figure it out as the story evolves.

Varianto A: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. I really wanted that chapter to sort of anchor everything else.

Blue Bragon: Thanks for your comments. That is a really interesting idea and I will admit I did brainstorm about it for a while and couldn't really get too far with it. It could just be that I am not talented enough to implement such a change, but thanks for opening up more avenues of thought for me. Glad you liked the Hanged Man idea. I found that it was what really got me into starting this story in the first place.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Advent**

**April 6th, 2009 (Near the train station, Dusk)**

**Minato P.O.V**

A cacophony of noise greeted Minato. The blaring of car horns, buzz of TV advertisements, and carefree chatter of the local denizens signaled he was back in the city. Minato still wore his school uniform and carried a blue rucksack that he did not remember owning before his trip to the Velvet Room.

The sun was slowly setting across the horizon as Minato began to retrace his own steps from the past. Igor had said this was a new start, but what did that really mean anyways?

While walking, Minato made a quick survey of his surroundings and recognized that this was the area near the train station, where he once bought his ticket to go to Tatsumi Port Island.

It had been only a moment ago that Minato confidently told Igor that he was ready to return to the past. Although, that bit of bravado was lost upon him now.

"Sir, do you plan on buying a ticket?" asked the ticket attendant.

"Oh, yes… I would like a ticket to Tatsumi Port Island," Minato muttered as he turned to the counter. There was a problem though since he did not seem to have any money on him.

"That will be 800 yen," she said.

"Uh, sure, that sounds reasonable," Minato responded as he quickly rummaged his pockets and came up empty.

"I'm sorry sir, but if you are unable to pay for the ticket please leave the ticket counter," and with that Minato's return to the past had begun with a bit of a letdown.

Minato's gut feeling was that he had to catch the next available train, or else things could get really complicated. Had Igor and Margaret expected him to beg his way to the dormitory in time?

"Hmm, maybe there's something I can use in here," Minato muttered as he decided to look through the rucksack remembering that he forgot to search through it earlier. His eyes saw a few items, including his old headphones and an envelope that read, "from the Velvet Room to Minato Arisato." Ignoring the other items, Minato opened the letter and found a note in neat handwriting that he did not recognize.

_Dear Minato,_

_It was a pleasure to meet you for the first time in the Velvet Room. I will admit the stories that I heard from Elizabeth were a bit fantastical, yet they piqued my interest in you. My master and I have included a small stipend to assist you at the beginning of your journey._

_I await your next visit,_

_Margaret _

Well, it seemed like a minor crisis passed without incident and enclosed within the envelope were the promised funds for Minato. Still, he wondered if there was any ulterior motive for Igor to provide him with monetary assistance. Igor seemed too eager to take Minato's money when using the Persona compendium in the past.

Minato proceeded to buy his ticket without a hassle and proceeded to get on board the train to depart, which was going to leave shortly. The train was filling up fast. Minato found a seat for himself in the corner.

He recalled the time when he had guessed the correct lever to prevent the trains from colliding in one of his first missions as the leader of S.E.E.S. Minato, but broke out of his reverie because someone rushed toward the ticket booth as he glanced outside.

It was a female student with auburn hair in a high ponytail, wearing a school uniform, with her back towards him. She had a pair of pink headphones that slung around her neck, and seemed preoccupied trying to buy a train ticket. Minato thought that it was probably just another student ready to start another school year.

Although, she had probably caught his attention because there weren't too many redheads that he knew, if any. The only other person that came to mind was Mitsuru, but this was definitely someone else.

When she turned around, Minato knew who the redhead was, just from her striking crimson eyes. He quickly turned his head away from the window, hoping that she hadn't seen him. There was no mistaking it; it was the girl who he had saved from his parent's burning vehicle.

She was a teenager now with silver barrettes in her hair and a Gekkoukan High badge pinned on her uniform. The girl wore the standard uniform with knee-high socks, a ribbon, a blouse, and a jacket. Minato thought the uniform fit her well, and had to admit she was pretty.

Minato's daydream ended abruptly when she started moving toward the train he was on.

"Oh crap," Minato thought. He had not anticipated meeting this girl so soon, and had good reason to worry.

There were multiple problems Minato had not considered when returning to the past, and she was a major one.

She would probably recognize him right away, with his mop of blue hair and that he had worn his school uniform throughout their last encounter. Furthermore, there was the issue that Minato had not aged at all, since the day of the accident ten years ago. This would lead to several uncomfortable questions, none of which Minato had prepared any plausible answers to.

"I need to hide somewhere," Minato thought urgently. However, there was hardly any room to maneuver with so many people on board.

**Hamuko P.O.V**

Hamuko had run around all day so that she wouldn't miss her train. Her day had not started well, as traffic made her trip to the train station take far longer than she had anticipated. Even her new pair of shoes, which she had bought for the trip had scuff marks on them already.

Her difficult morning seemed like a microcosm of her life so far. She always had to move from one place to another just as she started to get settled. Hamuko just longed to belong at her new school and hoped to make some new friends.

If she were being honest with herself, her life had been a struggle ever since that night ten years ago. That was the day when her adoptive parents perished. Sometimes, she thought maybe she would have been better off if she did not make it that day.

Hamuko shook her head, aware that the past could not be changed. There was no need to brood over what had happened. She was mentally tough and didn't want anyone feeling sorry for her. Besides, an angel had saved her that night.

Hamuko paid for her ticket and felt relieved, as she got on the train. Hamuko was an optimist and she wouldn't let a rough start temper her mood for long.

The train was more crowded than Hamuko would have liked, but she could see that there was an empty seat in the far corner next to someone. Oddly enough, it seemed he wore the same Gekkoukan uniform with the school patch that she was wearing, except that it was presumably the guy's version. The weird part was that whoever was sitting there had something over their head.

Hamuko had some misgivings about sitting next to someone who looked so shady, but she plopped next to the stranger anyways.

Minato felt the impact of someone sitting next to him and tried to stay calm. He had heard the luggage rolling in his direction and could guess who was next to him now.

The train began to trundle along and Hamuko pulled out a flyer that had a picture of her future dormitory. It read "Iwatodai Dormitory," and was a co-ed dorm. She wondered what it would be like to live with a bunch of guys in the same dormitory and sighed, hoping that there wouldn't be any perverts there.

After a while, she became bored and turned her thoughts over to the person sitting next to her. Why he had a bag over his head was none of her business, but did make her curious a bit. "Perhaps he had a terrible pimple on his face," she mused.

Minato knew that he looked absurd, but he had no time to react when the auburn haired girl was boarding the train. He hoped the trip was almost over, as he couldn't hold out much longer without passing out.

The people on board the train passed the trip in silence as the train moved towards its destination.

Hamuko started to look elsewhere when she saw something on the ground. It looked like the back of a Tarot Card. Figuring that it belonged to the person next to her, Hamuko picked it up and turned it over. While she did not know much about the card, she thought it looked odd, considering the figure in the image was hanging from the bottom of the image, which did not make any sense.

"Attention passengers, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. The next stop is Iwatodai," the announcer said.

Hamuko groaned. Today just seemed like a day full of delays and hassles. She deposited the card into the hands of the mysterious passenger.

Minato felt something drop in his hands and wondered what it was.

"I think this belongs to you," she said a bit too loudly, since he probably couldn't hear her too well. She began to repack her belongings into her bag.

"Iwatodai, Iwatodai, this is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure."

With a last look of exasperation, Hamuko left the stranger, eager to get to the dormitory.

**Minato P.O.V**

Minato felt the crimson-eyed girl leave and felt it was safe to remove the bag on his head. She had given him the Hanged Man card that Igor had shown him in the Velvet Room. For a moment, Minato reflected on the card's significance in his journey so far and proceeded to pocket the card.

Minato's hair had gotten even messier than usual because of the static with the bag. He really had nowhere else to go except for the dormitory, and decided he would follow the girl from a safe distance.

Hamuko was just about to walk out of the station when it happened. The music on her MP3 player stopped, all the terminals shut off, and everything was dark except for the light emanating from the moon. Every clock remained at midnight and did not move forward.

It was silent and the only noise she could hear was her shallow breathing.

The Dark Hour had returned, Minato thought as he hid behind a column to keep out of sight. He was keeping a close eye on the girl, just to make sure she was safe.

If this was a joke, Hamuko was not amused, and began to walk into the street towards the dormitory according to the flyer. Hamuko couldn't help but feel nervous as an eerie green glow was everywhere, along with rows of upright coffins. There were even puddles of blood, like a bad movie from Halloween.

Suddenly, she saw something from the corner of her eye. A black figure was quickly approaching in her direction. Hamuko's instincts told her to run. She began to move, but slipped in a puddle of blood. She screamed and put her arms up to try to defend herself.

The Shadow greedily closed upon its target, ready to devour Hamuko's mind.

Minato had fought countless Shadows. His body seemed to move on its own now. Any questions he had about this Shadow being outside of Tartarus could be saved for later.

Minato remembered the card Hamuko had given to him earlier. He quickly drew the card out of his pocket and felt a strange resonance inside his head.

"Why bother saving her? Have you already forgotten that she will replace you?" a voice hissed.

Minato ignored what he heard and put the card across his head in the same gesture as he would with an evoker. He prayed something positive would occur.

"Persona!" he yelled, and felt an odd sensation that was different from when he first summoned Orpheus, master of strings.

When he looked behind his shoulder, Minato saw Inugami, the weakest Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana. Hamuko and the Shadow were temporarily distracted by the summoning of the demon dog Persona. Minato felt like he was Koromaru's relative and wondered whether the earlier voice had belonged to Inugami.

Hamuko's gaze momentarily shifted towards Minato, and she had a peculiar expression on her face. Minato could tell she was trying to process what was going on.

The Shadow tried to assault Hamuko again, but Minato wasn't going to have any of that.

Minato recalled this persona had Zio and proceeded to use it. The spell while not particularly powerful, was enough to finish the weak Shadow. The Shadow's corpse vaporized into the ground.

Before Hamuko could get any words out, Minato started to get dizzy. He had not summoned a persona in a while, but he felt especially tired for some reason.

Hamuko could see that the blue-haired boy was about to fall down, and caught him before his head could hit the concrete. She had the strangest feeling akin to a déjà vu.

"Hey! Stay with me," she said. Minato was still conscious, but slumped against Hamuko's shoulder.

"I'll be fine, we need to keep moving," Minato replied. Hamuko thought he looked rather ill, but agreed that it was important that they get out of the street.

"What's your name?" the girl asked offhandedly, as she picked up their stuff from the ground with her free hand.

Minato thought it would be wise to tell the truth.

"Minato Arisato. What's yours?" he answered.

"Wow, really? My name is Hamuko Arisato," she said. "I guess we share the same surname."

Hamuko's statement unsettled Minato and he did not respond.

**Hamuko P.O.V**

In her thoughts, Hamuko thought it was a coincidence that this guy looked so similar to the one from ten years ago, or was he? Not to mention that they even shared the same last name. Though, none of that explained how he seemed to have magically made a monster appear out of thin air and would be right next to her a decade later. Of course, this was not even mentioning what was bothering her most.

She looked into Minato's eyes closely and could recall that she had seen this dark blue shade only once before in her life.

Regardless, she felt that he had protected her from the black figure that was attacking her, and felt that she had to help him to safety. The rest of the trip was in silence and they arrived at the street that the dormitory was on.

They slowly moved along with their luggage to the front of an austere looking building with a double door entrance. It was Iwatodai Dormitory and Hamuko was thankful that the door was not locked. They entered the building without closing the door. Just then, all the lights in the building lit up temporarily causing the duo to see dark spots everywhere.

"Who's there?" a nervous female voice questioned.


	5. Chapter 5: Scars

**A/N: **So, yeah I'm not following the in-game text word-for-word in some places because that would be a bit boring. In some parts, the words are the same for an anchoring kind of effect, but I try to keep that at a minimum. This chapter took a while to bring together in my head because I was not completely sure which direction I wanted to go to. It's the old conundrum about going through the year again, but what to change and what not to. I think that is parallel to what this Minato is going through… a parallel to my own thoughts. Anyhow, thanks to sillyfudgemonkeys for providing me some ideas for this chapter. I did not think the story would turn quite the way it did, but that's part of the fun. Lastly, the ending is a bit on the dark side, and is more so than I may have originally intended. This not fully edited, so grammar mistakes will abound. Thanks for reading.

Updated after fixing some errors. Fixed a couple of awkward phrases and redundant wording. Thanks for catching them sillyfudgemonkeys: I had the same idea as I was writing about how to use chan and kun suffixes. I'm not completely sure which way yet, but edited with your suggestion. For some reason or another I have issues typing Akihiko... also fixed the part about the "school" that error must have made it into this version somehow as I was moving things around. Thanks

**Arisato-chan is Hamuko and Arisato-kun is Minato.** Mitsuru is not actually acting the suffix, but I admit I was confused who was who as I was writing... so it is more of an indication of who she is talking about.**  
**

FinalUpdate: I tried editing in the P.O.V in spots where I felt it may confuse readers. To be honest, I'm not completely sold on trying to sort it out like this, but I'm still learning and experimenting after all. Thanks to rEpose, for digging through my errors. I will most likely keep the P.O.V stuff, but not indicate every time it switches... since some of the times it could just lead to a ton of line breaks and break the flow.

Thanks to greyarts for listening again and rEpose, my beta reader.

sillyfudgemonkeys: Glad you are into the story! I did debate when he would summon a Persona for the first time and thought it would be good to get it out-of-the-way earlier. I think this chapter will answer your question about what happened to this timeline's Minato.

arkbar22: I hope this chapter clarifies some of the background behind Minato's situation and why Mitsuru will play a major part in determining the final outcome.

Yami no Majou077: I will not commit to any pairings yet, but that is a possibility.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Scars**

**April 7th, 2009 (Late Night, Iwatodai Dormitory)**

* * *

**Hamuko P.O.V**

The light from the streetlamps helped illuminate Hamuko and Minato in the doorway as they crossed the threshold of Iwatodai Dormitory. Hamuko looked worse for the wear after their unexpected encounter with the Shadow. The dormitory appeared the same as ever. A lone figure approached them and repeated the previous query with more nervous energy in her voice.

"I'm not asking again. Who's there?" The source of the inquiry was from a brunette who came into view.

"Um, my name is Hamuko Arisato, and the flier I got in the mail said I should come to this dormitory. So here I am." Hamuko felt really self-aware as she realized that her clothes were in bad shape. Not to mention the brunette had a gun holstered on her right thigh, which Hamuko eyed wearily.

"Oh, I didn't think you would arrive today," Yukari said. "Are you alright though?" she asked with a look of concern at Hamuko.

Hamuko noted how Yukari seemed to really like the color pink, considering she was wearing a sweater jacket and a choker of the same color along with silver earrings. Her hairstyle was in an elongated bob.

Also, Hamuko thought that Yukari's skirt was way too short, though she did seem to have kind eyes. They reminded Hamuko of almonds, one of her favorite snacks.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Hamuko replied. "I just slipped on my way here." Hamuko had not meant to lie, but the truth sounded even less convincing. Yukari's attention shifted to Minato who had tried to blend in with the background as best he could after releasing Hamuko's shoulder.

"Huh? I thought there was only one transfer student," Yukari said.

"I'm Minato Arisato, it's a pleasure," Minato bracingly said.

Minato did not look at Yukari directly, but felt better than earlier. It was probably just the residual effects of summoning a Persona for the first time in a while. Although, that voice he heard from the Hanged Man card was disconcerting. Yukari didn't seem to remember Minato at all, not that Minato had given it much hope.

"Are you two siblings?" Yukari asked.

"No." Hamuko was curious about their last names being the same as well, but they were definitely not related as far as she knew.

"Takeba, is something wrong?" an imperious voice came from near the staircase.

"The new transfer student just arrived, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari replied. "That's Mitsuru-senpai, a senior and her family owns the school," Yukari added in an undertone to Hamuko.

Mitsuru proceeded to move towards where the trio were standing and introduced herself to Hamuko.

"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who lives in this dorm," she remarked. "Yukari will be a junior this spring just like you."

Hamuko thought this girl was for a lack of a better term, a snob. She wore a meticulous silk blouse and a long skirt. Her flowing red hair and flawless skin made Hamuko a bit jealous and wondered if she were an aristocrat. The black knee-high boots were a nice touch. Meeting someone with the same colored eyes was an unexpected turn of events.

"I'm Hamuko Arisato. It's nice to meet you, Mitsuru-senpai," Hamuko replied. Hamuko noticed the red armbands Mitsuru and Yukari wore on their left arms. "Are you guys in a club? What does S.E.E.S stand for anyways?"

"Yeah, it's a club at school," Yukari replied a bit uneasily.

Minato let out a small snort at Yukari's reply to Hamuko's question.

"And who are you, may I ask?" Mitsuru asked gesturing towards where Minato who was watching disinterestedly from the sofa in the lounge.

"Minato Arisato," he replied quickly, "I want to start school tomorrow at Gekkoukan."

Mitsuru thought this was a peculiar response. After this exchange, Mitsuru carefully studied Hamuko's appearance and wondered what exactly had happened to her. She then saw the blood on Hamuko's clothing and started putting two and two together. This had to mean she experienced the Dark Hour, but how was she still relatively unharmed?

"Arisato-chan, what happened to you on your way here?" Mitsuru demanded staring at Hamuko.

Hamuko was not sure what compelled her to say it, but the look Mitsuru gave her made her feel that any lie would be quickly reprimanded.

"Minato helped me earlier when the electricity was out, something tried to attack me and he helped me get away from it." Hamuko had told the truth, but left out the part about coffins and puddles of blood.

The atmosphere of the room changed quickly.

Yukari gave Mitsuru a surprised look, but her senior's expression was unreadable.

"I think you could use some rest, Arisato-chan. It's getting late and you have your first day of class," Mitsuru added an emphasis on the word class. Hamuko frankly felt a chilly aura when she said this. "It looks like you had a long day," she added in a kinder tone.

"Yukari, would you show Arisato-chan her room and assist her in carrying her things?" Mitsuru said.

"Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me." Yukari said this while wondering what was going on.

"Arisato-kun, I want you to wait here for me," Mitsuru instructed Minato who could already feel that this was not going to end well. He shrugged his shoulders and put his feet up on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Hamuko and Yukari proceeded up the stairs while both of them carried Hamuko's luggage. Yukari just added some conversation about how easy it was to find Hamuko's room, but it seemed like forced conversation. Hamuko was lost in her thoughts about why the mood of the room had quickly shifted when she had answered Mitsuru's question about what happened. These people knew something about what she had experienced and were not telling her.

"Um, Hamuko," Yukari said gently.

"Sorry Yukari, what is it?" Hamuko replied in a tone that was more severe than she had intended.

"Try not to worry about things too much. I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later. O.K.?" and with that Yukari bid goodnight to Hamuko and presumably left to go to her own room.

Hamuko inspected her room and found it to her liking. It had a small refrigerator, sturdy looking desk, mirror, multiple windows, among other necessities. Instead of changing her clothes Hamuko sat on her bed wondered about the recent turn of events.

There was definitely something odd about this city, especially the blue-haired guy who had saved her. She thought about it some more, but really needed to get some sleep as she had woken up early that day to get to Iwatodai. After she rummaged through her bag she found the clothes she was looking for, changed, and went to bed.

Yukari did not go back to bed. Instead, she heard Mitsuru tell her to go downstairs after she got Akihiko to join them.

Yukari watched at the stair landing as Mitsuru knocked on Akihiko's door.

* * *

**Mitsuru P.O.V**

"Who is it?" Akihiko said as he opened the door. He was wearing his usual school outfit with a red vest, slacks, and gloves. No one seemed to have been able to go to sleep in the dormitory for one reason or another, it seemed.

"Akihiko, we need to talk," Mitsuru responded with a serious tone.

"What is it, Mitsuru?" it was unlike her to sound like this unless something was wrong. She seemed agitated.

"The transfer student arrived today, but she didn't arrive alone. In fact, this other individual may already be able to summon a Persona. His name is Minato Arisato."

"Are you serious, Mitsuru?" the white-haired boxer inquired.

"Yes," she said.

"But that's great news. What are you so worried about, Mitsuru?" Akihiko said in surprise.

"I can fill you in with the details once all of us are downstairs," Mitsuru explained. "The transfer student said how she escaped from what I can only assume is a Shadow, but he appeared and got them to safety."

"A Shadow, outside of Tartarus?" Akihiko seemed more alarmed at this point than a new Persona user suddenly appearing out of the blue.

With that Mitsuru and Akihiko came downstairs as Yukari was already waiting for them.

* * *

**Minato P.O.V**

Minato had opened his eyes and was sitting upright and anticipated the upcoming barrage of questions that would be directed at him. He experienced some nostalgia as he saw everyone come downstairs at once.

"Akihiko Sanada, and you are Minato Arisato," Akihiko extended his right hand and Minato returned his firm handshake. He liked Akihiko's direct manner and reminded himself that Akihiko had always been like this. Although, Minato wished he had gotten to know him better at some point.

Everyone sat across Minato as if this were an intervention.

"I will get right to the main point. Can you summon a Persona?" Akihiko asked without prelude. His face lit up with the crazy expression that he got when he went to patrol the streets searching for Shadows.

Mitsuru gave Akihiko a disapproving look and Akihiko's initial enthusiasm quickly plummeted.

"Akihiko, I think I will ask him the questions," she said. "Can you explain what happened before you arrived to the dormitory, Arisato-kun?"

Yukari, who had feigned not listening, now turned her eyes to Minato.

"There isn't much to tell. I saw a girl in trouble and I wanted to play the part of a hero," Minato said dismissively.

"Could you be more specific, Arisato-kun?" Mitsuru became more impatient.

"I'm not sure there's more to tell," he responded.

Mitsuru's glare intensified on Minato as he answered her questions frivolously.

"Fine, fine, don't burn a hole in me, senpai," Minato said. "I saw a black figure attacking Hamuko and helped her escape to the dormitory. We knew that if we stayed there we would've been sorry. She was panicking, but we managed to get away." He put on a convincing façade, Minato thought.

"Is that everything?" Mitsuru seemed deflated that she was unable to get more information out of him.

"Yes, I mean there were some weird things going on with the electricity going out and the streets filled with blood." Minato said this as a bit of a teaser so that the rest of S.E.E.S would assume he at least had the potential in the Dark Hour.

"I see. Well, it is a relief that both of you arrived safely to the dormitory," Mitsuru concluded. "You can use the vacant room at the end of the second floor until other arrangements occur."

Akihiko and Yukari began to move away from the discussion to go back upstairs. Akihiko had a bemused expression on his face, as he did not see Mitsuru get flustered often. Yukari just looked confused by what was going on and why Minato was able to function in the Dark Hour according to what he said. Mitsuru was about to leave too before Minato asked her a question.

"Mitsuru-senpai, may I speak to you for a moment?" he said.

Mitsuru made sure that the voice of the inquiry came from Minato because it was in a far more respectful voice than he had used previously.

Akihiko and Yukari pretended to leave, but in reality were hiding behind the soda machines trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I need you to help me in going to Gekkoukan tomorrow as I am sure that there is no paperwork in my name. I heard earlier from Yukari that you wield considerable influence at the school and thought that you could help me."

"Wow, he's good," Akihiko thought. That level of flattery was impressive. Yukari merely rolled her eyes.

"As an orphan I would rather avoid all the questions that would come about my ability to pay for tuition and other miscellaneous concerns," Minato said imploringly. "Would you would be willing to sponsor me on your company's behalf?"

"I will see what I can do for you. Arisato-kun," Mitsuru replied with a small smile. "May I ask why you chose to come to Gekkoukan?"

"I heard that the sterling reputation of the school for providing an excellent academic environment and a solid foundation in getting to a great university," Minato stated.

"I see," Mitsuru liked the academic ambition Minato displayed.

With that, everyone dispersed to go back to their rooms. Akihiko and Minato bid goodnight to the girls as they went to their rooms.

* * *

**Mitsuru P.O.V**

"Takeba, what do you think of Arisato (kun)?" Mitsuru asked as they climbed the stairs for the third floor.

"After that exchange?" Yukari remarked. "I think he's a shameless flatterer, if that's what you meant, senpai."

"I did get that feeling as well," Mitsuru smiled coyly. The two girls bid each other goodnight.

* * *

**Minato P.O.V**

Minato was back in his own room and felt a bit uneasy. He couldn't really blame himself, considering the last time he was here the dormitory was on the verge of oblivion as the Abyss of Time was dispersing. He sighed as he unbuttoned his jacket. It had been an eventful first day and Minato had managed to not draw too much attention to himself.

Lying to the rest of the S.E.E.S members was not as easy as he had anticipated, especially with Mitsuru looking at him like that. It was a good idea not to incur her wrath unless it was necessary. He drifted off to sleep thinking about how he was going to stay awake tomorrow in class.

* * *

**Mitsuru P.O.V**

Mitsuru could not shake this feeling. She was fidgety and was not feeling particularly tired. Something was amiss, but Mitsuru could not put her finger on it. If both Arisatos were running from a Shadow then why had they managed to bring all of their belongings to the dorm?

She knew that both Arisatos had not completely told her the truth when questioned. In particular, the blue-haired one had a disturbing ability to change his personality in an instant. He had a certain look in his eye as he talked to her that radiated a depth of sadness that worried Mitsuru. While his demeanor was carefree and borderline rude, his true nature seemed much more complex. Mitsuru shook her head as she moved on her bed and kicked the blankets away.

The light in the room flicked back on as Mitsuru sat up in her pajamas. She reached for her laptop and turned it on. Her curiosity was getting the best of her; Mitsuru felt she wanted to know more about who Minato was. She opened the Kirijo group database about people of the city. The Kirijo group had kept detailed information on all people involved in its activities. Mitsuru thought that almost everyone in this city had interacted with her father's company.

On a whim, she typed Minato Arisato. A couple of pages of dossiers appeared, but Mitsuru could not tell immediately which one was the person she was looking for. Mitsuru sighed and went on an individual basis to find who she was looking for. Eventually, she clicked on one and got the following message.

Access denied. Top-level company clearance required.

Why would this file require top-level clearance? She wondered what was going on and decided to keep going. Mitsuru proceeded to enter her personal credentials into the login screen.

A file opened and revealed a picture of a blue-haired boy who couldn't be older than six or seven years old. She had finally found him, though she did not completely understand why it was from around a decade ago.

"This photo is when he was younger," Mitsuru mused. She scrolled down and started reading. She felt more and more sick as she went on, but could not resist finishing.

_Log initial note: Test subject 0, kidnapped at age 6 to study the effects of Persona implanted into humans. Control group did not perform significantly better than focus group. No statistical significance associated with dosage of suppressant given done with group study of 100 children that resulted in 97 deaths._

_Log note: Subject reacted poorly to experimentation and larger dosages of suppressant used as preventive measure. Researchers noted that suppressant would lead to eventual death regardless._

_Log final note: Subject deceased, and another failed experiment. Parents notified that body found of child was found after they reported child missing months prior. Police paid accordingly to fabricate story that child was found dead. Experiments no longer necessary with shift in end goals of Mr. Kouetsu_ _Kirijo. End._

Mitsuru dropped her laptop and it landed with a loud thud. Her face was ghastly. She could not believe what she had just read. It was too unbelievable and shook her to her core. What her grandfather had done was abominable. And who was Minato Arisato? A ghost from the past to punish her family's sins?

Mitsuru did not sleep at all that night.


	6. Chapter 6: Equivocality

**A/N: **First of all, I want to say thanks for the amount of reviews for the past chapter. My responses to reviews got a bit out of control, but that's fine. Feel free to private message me if you have any burning questions. This story is definitely still a work-in-progress and the reviews are all helpful. This chapter look a bit longer because there was just a lot of information for me to process. The reviews have been great in helping me address issues within the story and hopefully making it easier to read overall. I know the pace is on the slower side, but I intend to make the story fully encompassing of the school year. I am still trying to find a decent balance in length of chapters, but that isn't a big issue. This chapter probably had more in-game text than I originally intended. Not all of it is in order though some of it deliberate. I think that's it for now. On a side note, at the end of this chapter Mitsuru is mad and sad at Minato. You'll understand when you get there. The subtext is essentially from the end of last chapter but it's from Minato's P.O.V, which is why hopefully you'll at least get where Mitsuru is coming from.

Final update: Trying to find a balance of how often to put in P.O.V. It is a bit distracting to have it too often and whatnot. Anyways, thanks to rEpose for finding my grammar issues once again. Thanks!

Update: Special thanks to sillyfudgemonkeys for finding more of my random mistakes and awkward phrases. Even pulling one from the previous chapter!

Thanks to greyarts for listening to my rants and rEpose for beta reading when she can.

Deathchaos25: You and I think alike! I was more inclined where his versatile weapon choice would help him bond with say Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Yukari at school since their clubs "use" their weapons. Of course, as you said Minato could help them when they're in Tartarus as well, thanks for the suggestion. I think in this chapter you can see the nature of Minato's relationship with Mitsuru slowly evolving depending on how Minato handles the situation. He isn't really aware that he even existed in this time, but it's really up to him in how he decides to go forth, so to speak.

arkbar22: Thanks for continuing to read and review what I write. For Ikutski, who knows? I think it depends on how much Minato can convince Mitsuru that he isn't someone who is a loose cannon that could harm the future of S.E.E.S. If he manages to gain the trust of say Mitsuru's father I think she would slowly come around. Not to mention there's the pity aspect in her mind because of what her grandfather did to the Minato that is dead in this timeframe.

sillyfudgemonkeys: Thanks for continuing to find the loose ends that I somehow seem to miss each chapter. I make sure to go fix the mistakes you point out after I read your review. I'll try to go point by point for your questions. Yes, the subject 0 thing is directly related to how he was The Fool. He did "die" in this timeframe as a child so yes I understand aha. Since Minato isn't from this time he will not have to take suppressants because he did not have his Persona artificially implanted. I know Shinji takes them even though he wasn't part of the experiments.

But, I would say in Minato's case it's more of a duality where the Hanged Man Personas and arcana are as much part of his soul and psyche now rather than just a Shadow that he tamed. That probably didn't make a lot of sense, but overall his relationship with his inner half is just more complex than a typical Persona user. The "voice" is really a major plot point I hope so I won't go into too much detail. But, you have a good general idea I think. Once again, Chidori will be important because like you said she also has the Hanged Man Arcana as well as being part of Strega. We'll get to Pharos eventually and I'm slowly building Hamuko up, I hope in terms of development. She is a bit green right now, but I think bits of her personality are showing up. Whew, I don't think I set out to write this much but it is what it is aha.

Yami no Majou077: Thanks for another review. I'm glad you found the last chapter unexpected. Hoping you continue to keep up with the story.

Fanatical-Writer561: Your review helped a lot. It got me thinking in a different way about how to deal with perspective changes and trying to improve dialogue flow. As for the summary, I haven't updated it since I wrote the prologue and that is partly because I am not sure how I would change it at this time. I do agree that the go back in time with the super power level thing has run its course a bit… a bit of a flavor of the month, but I digress. The Hanged Man characterization is a central theme to the story and I am trying my best to allude to it as I write. It really was what convinced me to start the story.

Yeah, I agree that it was hard to follow the perspective changes. I'm still not sure what the best way to do it is, but thanks for pointing that out regardless. Hopefully, it's a bit easier to read now. The dialogue is a work-in-progress since I am still trying to figure out what structure I like. I tried making this chapter flow a bit better, but old habits are hard to break. I tend to use archaic word choice partly because it is so ingrained in my writing in general. For planning, I do have an end game in mind since I formulated this story from the end to the beginning. In terms of specificity, I would say what I have written in my notes is still fairly general, but I have certain things in mind. I want the details of the entire year that's spent in the game and for better and worse I will stick to that path. And before I forget, I think in the characterization I tend to believe readers already know who is who. But I do understand that I was light on motivations for characters doing certain things if that's what you meant. And this has turned out longer than I intended. Once again, thank you. Your review was definitely helpful.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Equivocality**

**April 7, 2009 (Iwatodai Dormitory)**

* * *

**Mitsuru P.O.V**

"Mitsuru, you look sick," Akihiko said worriedly. "Should you really be going to school today?"

Mitsuru always looked preternaturally poised, at least in Akihiko's opinion, but she seemed disoriented today. Her hair was slightly disheveled and there was a hint of dark circles underneath her eyes.

"I'm fine, Akihiko," Mitsuru said unconvincingly. "I just finished the paperwork for Arisato-kun to attend school today."

"You shouldn't overwork yourself, Mitsuru. I know you already have a lot on your plate. Not only with school, but also with your father's company."

"I know, Akihiko. You do not have to remind me all the time. Would you give Arisato (kun) his paperwork? I want to get to school early to prepare for Student Council."

"Sure, I can do that," he responded. Mitsuru turned and left Akihiko feeling a bit awkward standing there.

Mitsuru took out her cellphone and pressed 1 on the speed dial. She admired the beautiful morning , the skies blue and the road to school displayed by sunlight, as she waited for someone to pick up.

"Kirijo estate," a woman's voice said.

"Is my father available?" Mitsuru said.

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru-sama, he is out all next week," she replied. "Would you like to leave a message?"

"No, that is not necessary, thank you for the information." Mitsuru hung up her phone. "Maybe it was for the best," she thought. She was probably too emotional to talk with her father rationally and did not want to add to his burden.

* * *

**Minato P.O.V**

"Minato, are you awake yet?" Akihiko knocked on Minato's door at the end of the hallway with paperwork in hand. Akihiko paced back and forth.

Minato heard a muffled voice from the hallway and finished dressing for school. To his surprise, he saw Akihiko standing in front of him.

"What is it, Akihiko-senpai?"

"Mitsuru wanted me to give this to you. It should let you start school today without a problem. Make sure to reward her faith in your abilities. She seemed to have stayed up most of the night getting it ready."

"Thanks for bringing this to me, senpai. And I understand I'll thank her when I see her in school today." Minato took a quick glance over the paper and liked what he saw.

"No problem. Well, I guess I'll get going then," Akihiko ended the conversation.

"Do you mind if I go with you to school?"

"Huh, you want to walk with me to school?" Akihiko said in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, could you show me around if that isn't too much of a hassle?" Minato asked.

"Sure, why not? But only if we jog the entire way," Akihiko replied.

"Akihiko's penchant for training was the same as always," Minato thought to himself. Minato had never really gotten to know his senpai the first time around. This was as a good of an opportunity to start on the right foot.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Minato said as they went down to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

In the kitchen, Minato opened the cabinet and grabbed a box of cereal. He made sure that the milk in the refrigerator hadn't passed the expiration date, as he remembered some unfortunate experiences.

Akihiko stood with his back against the wall and pulled out just a protein bar from his bag.

"Do you always have a full breakfast?" Akihiko asked. He was watching Minato eat out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, I try to eat as healthy as possible when I can," Minato said in between a spoonful of cereal. "You should try to eat better too, considering it's just as important as exercise, senpai."

"You sound just like Shinji," Akihiko chided as he let out a small smile. "He's an old friend of mine from the orphanage. Shinji always told off me and Mitsuru for eating unhealthy when he lived in this dorm."

"Oh? You're an orphan too?" Minato tried his best to appear that this was new information to him. "We have some things in common then. Also, did you say Shinji used to live in this dormitory?"

"Yeah, things got a bit complicated and he moved out, but that's something we can talk about another time." Minato could see that Akihiko had said a bit more than he intended about Shinji.

* * *

**Hamuko P.O.V**

Just then, Hamuko and Yukari came downstairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning. Did you guys sleep okay?" Yukari said, "Minato, I was wondering where you were. Mitsuru-senpai wanted me to show you how to get to school, along with Hamuko.

"Yeah, we did." Minato replied. "And sorry Yukari, Akihiko-senpai is going to show me the way."

Minato seemed very careful in avoiding Hamuko's gaze. She thought that he was shy at first from what had happened on their way to the dormitory, but there was something else that she couldn't really put her finger on.

"Really? I guess that's fine then. Hamuko, you haven't met Akihiko-senpai yet. Have you?" Yukari motioned toward the lithe senior.

The silver-haired senior looked toward Hamuko who hadn't said anything up until now.

"How ya doing?" he said.

"I'm fine, thank you." Hamuko and Akihiko momentarily met eye-to-eye. It wasn't from impoliteness, but probably out of curiosity on Akihiko's part. Hamuko gave a small smile, partly because Akihiko was at least talking to her, unlike Minato.

"Yeah, we better get going then. See you at school." Akihiko quickly left the kitchen and Minato obliged by following him out the door.

After a while, Yukari and Hamuko walked out of the dormitory and got on the train to get to school.

As they were walking toward the train station, Hamuko started peppering Yukari with questions about what life was like at Gekkoukan.

When they boarded the train Hamuko appreciated how clean it appeared. Yukari let her have the inner seat so that Hamuko could have a good view of the water.

This was Hamuko's first experience on this kind of train. Yukari said this type of train was an Anehazuru.

"We have to take the monorail to get to school. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?" Yukari said.

"No, I usually just took a bus. But this is really amazing since we're going over the water." Hamuko peered out the window as she said this.

As Yukari talked happily about the view of the city Hamuko just gave her an enthusiastic nod. This was part of the reason Hamuko wanted to come to Gekkoukan, the ability to live in the big city.

"By the way, don't talk about anything you saw last night. Okay?" Yukari seemed uncomfortable bringing up the subject as she fidgeted with her schoolbag.

"Okay, Yukari. But, I was also wondering what Minato said last night after I went to bed. He seemed really reserved from what I've seen so far."

"Him? I don't really know. I mean we hardly know the guy yet. One minute he says nothing and the next he can't stop talking. Yet, he already seems to get along with Akihiko-senpai."

"Is that so? It sounds like you've paid pretty close attention to him Yukari."

"What?" Yukari blushed crimson. "It's nothing like that!"

"I'm just joking Yukari, you can calm down," Hamuko giggled.

The two girls arrived at Gekkoukan's school gates and got a lot of stares from the male denizens.

"Hey, who's the chick with Yukari?"

"I dunno, I've never seen her around before."

"Wow, she's a looker though. Her eyes are just like Mitsuru's."

"Looks out of our league dude. I mean, she's already hanging out with Yukari."

Hamuko heard a wide riffraff of comments pointed toward her direction. At least they were flattering she thought.

"Just ignore them, Hamuko. Gekkoukan has its fair share of morons, but they learn to leave you alone," Yukari said while they walked past the main doors.

At the class bulletin board there were the names of all the students and the homerooms assigned to them.

"Wow, we're in the same class Yukari!" Hamuko was happy that she would at least know someone in her class.

Yukari gave her a smile, but it was quickly replaced by a frown.

"Ugh, Junpei is in our class this year," she remarked.

"Who's Junpei?"

"Someone who will talk endlessly to anyone if they let him," Yukari said.

"That doesn't sound that bad."

"Well, that's because you don't know the half of it Hamuko. You should go introduce yourself to Ms. Toriumi, in the teacher's lounge, which is in the left hallway. I'll catch up with you later."

Yukari walked away and Hamuko wanted to stop her and tell her what actually happened on her way to the dormitory. What was a Persona exactly anyways? However, Hamuko felt that Yukari would just shush her away if she asked her too many questions at school.

Hamuko wandered toward the hallway on the left and saw a sign labeled teacher's lounge. She was about to step in, but could hear voices inside.

"That should take care of everything. You're in 2-F; that's my class." A woman was talking to someone it seemed.

"Thank you for doing on such short notice," another female voice said.

Hamuko knocked on the door and Mitsuru appeared.

"Hello, Arisato (chan). If you will excuse me," Mitsuru said as she walked off.

A woman waved her hand motioning towards Hamuko.

"Are you the other new transfer student, Hamuko Arisato? I'm Ms. Toriumi and I teach composition at Gekkoukan. You're just in time to attend the Welcoming Ceremony." Ms. Toriumi seemed like a nice enough woman, though a bit strained.

Hamuko nodded in affirmation and saw Minato sulking, looking towards the floor. She wondered why Minato continued to behave this way towards her. Had she done something wrong? They had started off on an odd note, but she did not feel any animosity towards him. It really seemed like Minato was trying his best to avoid her, as far as Hamuko could tell.

With Hamuko and Minato trailing Ms. Toriumi to the auditorium, Hamuko took this as an opportunity to move next to Minato.

Minato noticed her presence, but didn't say anything. He seemed to grimace ever so slightly.

"So how long are you going to give me the silent treatment?" Hamuko said in a sarcastic tone.

This seemed to have done the trick as Minato momentarily let down his guard and spoke with an equal sarcastic inflection in his voice.

"Well, I guess you just ended it. Hi, Hamuko."

For some reason this caused Hamuko to start laughing. Minato's response was not particularly funny, but maybe just the way he deadpanned his response was good enough.

"You know you're pretty terrible at lying Minato," Hamuko said as she composed herself again.

"You think so?"

"Definitely, just before you weren't talking to me, but your eyes gave you away. You aren't some anti-social jerk as far as I can tell."

"Well, thank you. I'll take that as a compliment for now," he sounded amused.

They entered the auditorium and took their seats. Hamuko tried to count how many people there were, but lost interest, as there were a lot more than any school she had ever gone to. The principal began to drone a long-winded speech that seemed to last forever.

Hamuko got bored quickly, but at least she was staying awake. Minato was taking a nap and even snoring a bit too. Suddenly, his head drifted to Hamuko's shoulder. Not expecting this, she let out a squeak, which caught the eyes of everyone around them.

"I hear talking. I believe it's someone from Ms. Toriumi's class…"

"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me into trouble!" Ms. Toriumi hissed.

"I'll get you for this Minato," Hamuko whispered. His response was a smirk slowly forming on his face.

After the Opening Ceremony, Minato and Hamuko introduced themselves to the class. Minato made a clear point that the two were not related in any shape or form. They proceeded to take seats next to each other behind where Yukari sat.

Ms. Toriumi proceeded with the morning lecture and Hamuko took detailed notes. Time passed by without incident and homeroom ended, meaning it was after school hours.

A friendly looking boy in a baseball cap walked up to the Arisatos. Before he could say anything Minato interrupted him with a nonchalant wave.

"You're Junpei, right?"

"Wha, how did you know dude?" Junpei said, as he looked surprised.

"I overheard Yukari saying that you're really friendly and willing to talk to anyone as long as they listen to you."

Junpei just laughed it off and introduced himself anyways, unaware of the mocking tone in Minato's voice. Hamuko gave Minato a glowering look that signaled she didn't appreciate how he treated Junpei. He just shrugged his shoulders and started wrapping his knuckles on his desk, which somehow annoyed Hamuko further.

"Well, I'm glad to meet you too, Junpei," Hamuko stated. "It's good to see someone who is willing to talk to the new kids in class."

Junpei gave a shameless smile in return. Yukari walked into the classroom.

"I see you're up to the usual, Junpei." Yukari shook her head in contempt.

"What? I'm just being friendly, Yuka-tan."

"Right. Anyways what a coincidence that you and Minato are in the same homeroom as me, huh Hamuko?" Yukari said.

"I'm just glad to have some friends that I know already," Hamuko answered.

"Um, hello? Did you forget I'm in this class too? C'mon, lemme in on the fun!" Junpei sighed.

"Well, I've gotta go take care of some stuff for archery team stuff. Don't try anything funny, you got that, Junpei?" Yukari said as she stared at Junpei menacingly.

"Yukari, can I tag along with you to archery club? I want to see you guys practice." Minato had suddenly entered the conversation.

"If you really want to I guess." Yukari didn't really seem comfortable with the arrangement.

"Oh, you already know about the clubs at school? You might not look like it, but you're pretty quick on the uptake there, Minato." Junpei looked like he had an excuse to start another conversation.

"Hmm, I want to hear more about the clubs at this school Junpei," Hamuko interrupted. Minato caught her eye and he seemed to understand that she was giving him an opportunity to get away from Junpei. Minato gave her an understanding smile and stood up to go with Yukari.

Junpei and Hamuko had left Minato and Yukari to go their separate ways. Junpei looked around to see if anyone was listening on their conversation about school life.

Then he said, "Whoa, I wonder if there's anything going on between those two. Minato had some guts to ask Yuka-tan that. I bet the whole school is gonna have rumors about those two."

"Junpei, are you sure you aren't the source of those rumors?" Hamuko playfully punched him on his right arm.

"Heh, if they didn't want the rumors, they shouldn't hang out where a bunch of people can see them."

"Aren't we doing the same thing then?" Hamuko said.

"Huh, yeah I guess so." Junpei seemed a bit flustered. "Why don't we go grab a bowl of ramen at Hagakure? My treat, sort of like a welcome to Gekkoukan High present."

"Haha, sounds fun. I'm pretty hungry now too. Let's go!" Hamuko wanted a free meal and just getting to know Junpei better. The afternoon passed by quickly.

"If you ever have a problem, you can tell your old friend Junpei about it!"

"I'll remember that. Thanks Junpei," Hamuko replied.

Hamuko waved goodbye to Junpei and arrived at the dorm.

As she entered she saw a sign-in sheet on the counter. Hamuko could see that everyone else had returned already.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru intoned and didn't look up. "You should get a good night's rest." Mitsuru seemed engrossed in a novel that Hamuko had never heard of. Over by the table Hamuko saw Yukari trying to get some homework done.

"Hey, Yukari. How did archery club go? Did Minato behave himself?"

"It was fine, thanks for asking. Minato just watched from the side and didn't do much else. I guess he wanted to join the club, but I don't think there are any open spots now. You're probably tired right? You should go to bed early today."

Hamuko was a bit confused about why everyone suggested she go to bed early today. It was her first day, but she felt energetic more than anything else. Meeting new people and socializing was really fun.

"Yeah, I might as well hit the hay early today. Night, Mitsuru-senpai. Night, Yukari." They replied goodnight in return.

* * *

**Minato P.O.V**

Later on during the night Akihiko came downstairs. Minato had followed him downstairs as silently as he could. He remembered that Akihiko had gone on these night patrols early in the school year to hunt down Shadows that were in the streets. Minato snuck into the kitchen to avoid detection and tried to listen to what Akihiko was saying.

With the number of apathy syndrome cases, it's them. I'm going out," Akihiko said.

"Wait, Akhiko. We aren't alone." Mitsuru interrupted Akihiko, which quickly stopped him from talking.

"Who's there? I know you're in the kitchen," Mitsuru said.

Minato came out. He wondered how Mitsuru had figured out he was there.

"Arisato? Why are you still awake? More importantly, why are you eavesdropping on us?" Mitsuru had an accusatory look on her face. She folded her arms and looked like she may never unfold them.

"Uh, well it sounded like Akihiko-senpai was going out for a patrol, so I thought he might want some help." Minato felt this was a crappy excuse, but ah well.

"Akihiko, go. I think I need to talk with Arisato privately." Akihiko looked like he wanted to stay, but knew better than to argue with Mitsuru when she looked halfway to staging an execution.

"Don't be too hard on him, Mitsuru." Akhiko left, gently closing the door behind him.

"Explain," was all Mitsuru said, once she and Minato were face to face.

"Explain what?" Minato was trying to sound as innocent as he could.

"How did you know Akihiko was going on patrol?"

"I didn't, I just heard him leaving his room and wondered where he was going."

"If that was the case Arisato why did you hide in the kitchen?"

"Um, I wasn't sure what to do during the Dark…" Minato tried to look away from Mitsuru, but it was too late. He had inadvertently mentioned the Dark Hour.

"How do you know about the Dark Hour? You've deliberately lied to me haven't you?" It wasn't a question, but a statement. The conversation was quickly spiraling out of control. "Do you think I am that naïve?"

Mitsuru stood up and looked down at Minato like he was that useless bastard fiancé that she was to eventually get married to. Even the fact that the Dark Hour had made its daily return did not slow down Mitsuru's tirade.

"I know for a fact that Arisato-chan met a Shadow the day you two arrived and you weren't even slightly injured. I only let it pass initially because I thought you had the potential. However, I will not tolerate someone disingenuous living in this dormitory!"

Minato held his breath. He hadn't expected this conversation to turn out this way, but Mitsuru left him with no choice. As calmly as he could, he drew out the Hanged Man card, which he always carried in his pocket now. It was still stuck in its reversed position. Mitsuru eyed the card incredulously.

"Mitsuru, please. I can't really explain everything now. But, please follow me outside for a moment."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because… I can already summon a Persona."

Just outside the dormitory Minato quietly muttered, "Persona." Inugami once again appeared and moved gracefully above Minato's shoulders.

"You don't have to trust me, Mitsuru. I know you can use my help though. Can you please keep this between us for now and let me stay?" Minato was trying his best to not sound desperate.

Mitsuru didn't say anything to him. Instead, there was a look of pity and bewilderment on her face.

Maybe this hadn't been the brightest idea he ever had Minato thought.

Unbeknownst to Minato and Mitsuru, someone else witnessed what had just happened.


	7. Chapter 7: Contract

**A/N: **And here we are at another chapter. Just on a random note, there is something weird about the dates of the videos I am watching of P3 FES and P3P, which is why the dates are whacky. Anyways, I know the pace is grinding. Trust me, I didn't think it would be April 8th, 7 chapters in. Ah well, I like to explain the thinking behind characters and some subtext as well. Though, at the current trajectory this could take a long time to finish, but my enthusiasm is still there. This chapter turned out a bit longer than I intended, but I wanted to finish April 8th. I think that's it for now. I'm still working on things stylistically. If you have questions, concerns, or whatever feel free to ask. Thanks for the reviews!

Thanks to greyarts for reminding me that pacing could be a problem and to rEpose for continuing to beta this story.

Update 1: Fixed the awkward phrases as noted by sillyfudgemonkeys. Apparently, I spelled Ikutsuki wrong... all 22 times... ahaha.

Final Update: Thanks for beta reading rEpose!

sillyfudgemonkeys: This is a preëmptive thanks if you find more stuff I goofed on haha. I did like the milk part as well. It was just a random tidbit that I wanted to include in the previous chapter. I think Hamuko can see when Minato is lying a bit too obviously because she's known him the "longest" since in the prologue they met. Glad you liked the friction too and just the interactions between characters. Minato can't really have a new game plus, super easy mode without the power of the Wild Card telling him to answer one way or another. And I think Minato knows Junpei at his most vulnerable like when Ryoji tells them they will all die. Minato knows that what Junpei does is part of an act because of his father's alcohol abuse. And yeah, it is a careful balance as I don't want Minato to be like I know everything versus I am the greatest pathological liar ever. I think that's it. Thanks for continuing to read!

arronvang69: Partly yes. It is also because she feels guilty because her grandfather killed the young Minato in this time. But, she is confused because the current Minato seems to be the same person. I'm confused as I'm typing this, but I think you get the gist.

arkbar22: I think Minato has to at least try. His background, or lack thereof in this timeframe makes him on thin ice… bad reference to Mitsuru, but I digress. Minato does not yet know about his history in this timeline. It will probably be a friction point until he finds out and resolves it with Mitsuru. Thanks for the review again.

Guest: Me too, aha. The life at school was one of the major things that got me interested in Persona 3 as I was playing the game the first time. It will be an adventure since he can't really "cheat" with his Wild Card powers anymore. I think the next question is answered in the chapter written below.

Starter: I'm glad you liked the twist! It took me a while to put it together where it would be actually believable and make a decent backstory for Minato.

DeathChaos25: It's good to see another review from you. Yes, he no longer has the ulterior motive for leveling up his social links. He'll have his up and downs just like any other person in relationships. At first, I think his caring about his teammates is partly driven because he has nowhere else to go in this world. Over time, I think he will slowly open up and will develop relationships that are not grounded in social link subterfuge, but just caring about the people around him.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Contract**

**April 7 (Just outside Iwatodai Dormitory, Dark Hour)**

**Minato P.O.V**

The Dark Hour was closer to ending, as far as Minato could tell. He wondered what was going through Mitsuru's mind now. She really got worked up easily around him it seemed. Minato was starting to get tired because the adrenaline of using his Persona was wearing off. After a while, Mitsuru seemed to regain her composure and spoke to him.

"Arisato-kun, you said that you would be willing to help me. I don't really know much about you, yet you seem to know so much about the Dark Hour already."

"I can help you fight the Shadows; that's enough, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose. But, you aren't telling me everything are you?"

"Like what, senpai?"

"How did you obtain your Persona?"

"I'd rather not say, but you could say I awakened to it naturally."

This seemed to stop Mitsuru's line of questioning for a moment. Then it continued.

"Did you have any unusual circumstances occur to you as a child?"

"No, not really."

"When you say you awakened your Persona naturally, how and when did it happen? My personal case was because I wanted to protect my father from the Shadows." Mitsuru grabbed her left arm and looked downwards as she said this. Minato knew what this gesture meant. He only saw her do this when she was genuinely feeling down.

"Well, it was…" Minato's voice trailed off. His instincts were screaming to him that he had messed up enough for one night. He needed to cut the conversation off. "Senpai, you should get some rest. We both have class tomorrow. I know you aren't really satisfied with my answers, but it is what it is. You need all the help you can get against the Shadows, I know that much at least."

Minato walked toward the front door of the dormitory without looking back.

* * *

**Hamuko P.O.V**

Hamuko couldn't hear all of what Mitsuru and Minato were saying, as they were too far away from her bedroom window. However, she could hear parts of the conversation, and from what she could see with her eyes, was plenty. Hamuko could see that Minato had summoned that flying dog monster again, just like the night before.

"You know it isn't nice to spy on people," a voice said.

Hamuko almost fell out of the window in surprise. After pulling her head back into the room she saw by an eerily dressed boy. He couldn't be older than seven or eight years old she guessed. His outfit made Hamuko think about prisoner outfits. Yet, his eyes were probably his most striking feature. Their cobalt nature reminded Hamuko of Minato.

"Well, it isn't nice to break into a girl's room either," she retorted. Strangely enough, the door remained locked and Hamuko was sure she would've heard someone breaking in.

"Oh, but I'm always with you." He smiled a bit, and Hamuko thought this was creepier than before. "I wanted to see you yesterday, but I wasn't able to. That made me really sad."

"Yesterday?"

"Yes, I can only visit you during this time," he replied.

Hamuko tried to collect her thoughts. This boy said he only appeared during this time when strange phenomena seemed to occur.

"What do you know about this time of day?"

"Nothing much, but if you want to learn more you should sign this contract." He held out a piece of paper to Hamuko.

Hamuko skimmed the contract and noticed that it did not have any fine print. In fact, the only words on it were "I chooseth this fate of my own free will."

"Wait, what's the catch?" Hamuko said as she looked up from the paper. She had no idea what she was signing up for. It just all seemed too vague.

"There's no need to be scared. It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions."

"That still doesn't really answer my question," she said raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"But don't you want to know what's really going on with your friends?"

The boy's words annoyed Hamuko. Of course she wanted to know what was really going on. Everyone seemed to have something to hide in this dormitory.

"Fine, I'll sign it." Hamuko pulled out a pen from her bag and signed Hamuko Arisato in big, loopy handwriting.

"Very well." With that the mysterious boy melded into the shadows and vanished.

Not really sure what to make of it all, Hamuko decided to try to go back to sleep.

* * *

**April 8 (School, Afternoon Session)**

**Minato P.O.V  
**

Minato let out a sigh.

His conversation last night with Mitsuru was a debacle the more he thought about it. What in the world had he been thinking? Was Mitsuru always this hard to deal with? Minato no longer had the power of social links it seemed. Otherwise, he was sure he would've had an easier time talking to people. There weren't any easy answers anymore it seemed.

He doodled on his notebook as Ms. Toriumi continued to lecture about authors she liked. Suddenly, she snapped at Junpei and asked him who her favorite author was. Hamuko told Junpei the answer was Utsubo Kubota. Yukari just rolled her eyes at Junpei.

All of his classmates really had no idea how fleeting their time was. Then again, how could they? Minato missed messing with Kenji and Kazushi. Had he only gotten to know people because they strengthened his social links? That sounded rather selfish, but also true.

Minato stopped doodling. What had happened on April 8th anyways? He racked his brain trying to remember. The answer came to him and it wasn't one that he particularly liked. This was the day that he first met Ikutsuki. It wasn't like Minato could do anything about Ikutsuki today anyways. It was a bad idea to open with hostilities as Ikutsuki was the Chairman of the school.

Class ended and the bell rung. Minato needed to clear his head and decided he would go visit the Velvet Room. He quickly packed his things and was about to leave his desk when someone grabbed him on the arm. It was Hamuko.

"Hey, can we walk home together?" she asked.

Minato wasn't sure how to respond because he didn't really want to meet Ikutsuki just yet.

"Sorry, Hamuko. I have to go somewhere," he said. Minato was trying hard not to sound like a jerk.

"Well, then can I go with you to wherever you're going then?"

"Um, not really."

Immediately, Minato could tell that he had said the wrong answer. Hamuko's smile turned into a frown.

"Fine!" she grabbed her bag and pushed past Minato out of the class. The rest of the class watched in amusement.

Even Ms. Toriumi let out a small cough trying to stifle a chuckle.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Junpei exclaimed. "I would be the first in line to walk Hamuko home."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you Junpei," Minato replied.

With that Minato proceeded to leave and took the train to Paulownia Mall. He walked underneath the Karaoke Bar, Mandragora, which had the alternate entrance to the Velvet Room.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Margaret said.

Igor was in his usual spot and Margaret was beside him.

"Do you remember everything from our last meeting?" Minato asked Igor uncertainly taking his seat.

"Yes, of course. Why would we not?"

"I just wanted to make sure Igor. I did return to the past after all."

"The Velvet Room is not impacted by the outside world," Igor said.

"So, I wanted to ask about my social links."

"I recall telling you that they would not remember you, my young man."

"Right, but why am I finding it so difficult to build relationships with them again?"

"That is because you only hold the power of a specific Arcana now," Margaret interceded. "I thought that would be obvious." She said this with a bit of frostiness.

"So, I can easily build relationships with people who have the Hanged Man Arcana? The only person that I remember having the Hanged Man Arcana is Maiko." Minato was hoping he didn't sound like a child asking obvious things repeatedly.

"You are relying too much on the power of the Wild Card," Margaret said. "You can no longer depend on its power to guide you to the correct answer. Just like any other individual you have to slowly gain the trust of those around you."

This had been Minato's hunch, but Margaret's answer was discouraging. Trying to change the subject Minato could see that Margaret had a book in her lap called "Le Grimoire."

"Is that book similar to the Persona compendium Elizabeth always had? I don't remember it having a name though."

"It performs a similar role, but I imagine you would wonder why you need it anymore."

"Well, yeah considering I can't use the compendium to recall different Persona now."

"Let me show you then." Margaret opened the book and Minato saw small moving photographs of himself in an elaborate sketchbook. He examined one of the photos closely and recognized it was the time in the hot springs where he narrowly avoided Mitsuru's execution and laughing afterwards. He tried to figure out what was going on in the other photos, but Margaret abruptly closed it.

"These are your memories from the past. They may not seem useful, but they hold the key to understanding how you shape your destiny moving forward."

"I don't really get it." Minato was not really sure what Margaret was hinting at.

"The Velvet Room is inseparable from the heart of its invited guest. Its contents are not an exception. Therefore, Le Grimoire will display the memories associated with what feelings are deepest in your heart. It will recall the events that you have witnessed with unerring accuracy."

"Why should I care though? I mean, it is nice to remember things but, it isn't like people are going to magically remember everything I've been through with them." Frankly, Minato felt the book was a bit on the useless side.

"My young man, I think by now you would have realized the connection everything has," Igor said.

Igor probably had a point, but Minato wished he could be a bit more specific in his cryptic warnings. As if he read his mind Igor continued on.

"Just because you no longer have the power of the Wild Card does not mean you cannot build relationships. The power of a social link is two sides of the same coin. Otherwise, how could the ones from before have heard you in your hour of need and given you the power of the Universe? Think of the end in mind before you act. That is the best advice I can give you considering the limited time that you have."

Igor's words were a lot to chew on. Minato almost forgot that he needed to leave the Velvet Room and get back to the dorm.

"We will always support you, regardless of the choices that you make," Igor said. "We just thought that this would help you better understand what actions to take and more importantly what actions not to take."

Igor rubbed his gloved hands together.

"Of course, there will be a small fee to use the service."

"I already figured that one out Igor," Minato said somewhat sarcastically rising out of his seat and heading toward the door.

"Until we meet again," Margaret said.

Minato walked out of the Velvet Room and opened the door back to Paulownia Mall. As he stepped forward, he was temporarily blinded by the sunlight and crashed into something.

"Ow, you jerk, look where you're going!" some said angrily.

Minato had walked headlong into Hamuko and smacked foreheads together. He rubbed the spot where their heads collided and hoped it wouldn't form a welt later.

"Hamuko, why were you standing there?"

"I was following you obviously." It seemed Hamuko was impervious to pain because her forehead remained red.

"What for? I told you I had to go somewhere."

"It's your fault for making me curious in the first place Minato," she said irritably. "How did you disappear and reappear out of thin air though? Is this a magic trick?"

"You probably just weren't looking carefully enough. Well, I'll see you." Minato was about to walk away from Hamuko, but she grabbed his arm.

"You aren't getting away that easily. You owe me a walk home remember?"

There was no escape from this girl it seemed. She was persistent.

"Alright, I guess I don't have anywhere else to go."

Hamuko released Minato's arm and they began to walk toward the dorm.

"Why is everyone at the dorm a liar?" Hamuko said.

"What do you mean? And why am I included in that?" Minato tried to sound indignant.

"All of you do stuff when I go to my room. Everyone tells me that I should go to sleep early."

"Well, maybe they're just concerned about you." Minato saw a pebble and kicked it in front of the path they were walking.

"Look, Minato," she said, suddenly. "I know you can summon a dog monster thing. I'm not stupid. It's called a Persona. Am I right?"

Minato hadn't expected her to know about Persona already. He nearly tripped over the pebble somehow that he had kicked earlier. Had she already been to the Velvet Room? It was too early. He decided to just shrug his shoulders.

"You'll know eventually. I wouldn't worry about it too much." He tried his best to sound disinterested in the topic.

"Why aren't you telling me? Is it because I'm a girl?" Hamuko puffed up her shoulders, which for some reason Minato thought was cute.

"Yes, if that'll stop you from asking me 20 questions, Ms. Arisato."

"Hmph, I'll figure it out on my own then. Thanks for nothing Minato!"

"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I can go to my room in peace."

They had arrived at the dorm and entered the lobby. Hamuko didn't look particularly happy, but Minato had to stonewall Hamuko's barrage of questions the best he could.

* * *

**(Dorm Lounge, Evening)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.  
**

"Oh, they're back," Yukari said. She was with the man of the hour.

"So, these are our new guests…" Ikutsuki said.

Hamuko saw a middle-aged man in circular glasses that fell down the bridge of his nose. This gave him an elderly appearance and along with his long hair, black turtleneck, and brown suit, he looked like a poor facsimile of a hipster.

"My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. I apologize for the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask."

"It's nice to meet you Ikutsuki-san. I'm Minato Arisato." Minato gave Ikutsuki a firm handshake and looked him right in the eye.

Hamuko thought Minato was acting like this was an interview.

"Hi, I'm Hamuko Arisato. Nice to meet you Ikutsuki-san." Hamuko wasn't going to let Minato get all the glory.

"It's good to see such enthusiasm out of you two," Ikutsuki said while flashing a cheesy smile. "Is there anything that you'd like to ask?"

Hamuko didn't know who was worse. Minato or Ikutsuki. However, Hamuko wasn't going to let this opportunity to ask some questions slip away.

"Chairman, why did you bother coming here? I'm sure you're a pretty busy person."

"To welcome you two, of course. By the way where's Mitsuru, Yukari?"

"She's upstairs."

"As diligent as always, though it wouldn't hurt to come down and say hello. Do you have another question?"

"I saw something strange the other night," Hamuko said. Apparently, this got Minato's attention and he began to slightly shake his head slightly, side to side.

"You saw something strange? Like what?" Ikutsuki brought out that cheesy smile again. Yukari eyed Hamuko in an odd manner as well.

"You were probably tired. I wouldn't worry about it. It's bad for your complexion, you know." Ikutsuki tried to pass it off, but Hamuko could definitely tell something was amiss. Judging from the reactions of Minato, Yukari, and Ikutsuki there was definitely something she wasn't realizing.

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me. Both of you must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early." Ikutsuki got up and left the dorm.

_There it was again,_ Hamuko thought. Everyone wanted her to go to bed early. Was it so that she would not be awake during that weird time?

After Ikutsuki had left, Hamuko started to talk to Yukari.

"Yukari, is Ikutsuki always like that?"

"What, you mean with the lame jokes and puns?" Yukari said. "I mean, they are pretty terrible, but that's just who he is."

"No, he just doesn't really seem forthcoming."

"I'm sure he has his reasons, Hamuko."

"By the way, Yukari. Why does everyone in this dorm tell me to go to sleep early?" Hamuko asked while staring at her nails. Even without looking at Yukari she could tell this question was giving her trouble.

"We're just worried that you're tired from school and moving to a big city. That's all."

"Are you sure it isn't so that I don't look outside when that time of night comes again? What's really going on?"

"Hamuko, I'd love to continue to chat, but I really need to get my homework done. I'm sure Minato can answer what questions you have left. Right, Minato?" Yukari went upstairs without waiting for an answer.

Hamuko didn't want to deal with Minato so she just decided to go to her room as well.

Hamuko decided to continue unpacking her stuff from the boxes she brought. Eventually, she decided after finishing her homework that she could finish unpacking over the next few days. There was a lot on her mind.

"That chairman guy. He didn't answer my questions directly when I told him that I saw something strange. What am I missing out on? Yukari, Minato, Mitsuru, and what's his name… Akihiko. They all won't tell me anything!"

Hamuko was getting a bit watery-eyed not out of sadness, but anger. That feeling of being excluded just made her furious. Hamuko experienced ridicule incessantly because she was an orphan growing up moving from place to place. The other kids had left her alone because they thought she was abnormal and never did anything with her. Was she that different from everyone else?

* * *

**Minato P.O.V.**

Minato felt really depressed as he paced the corridor outside his room. Hamuko had only come to him to ask him questions about what was going on during the Dark Hour. If he were in her shoes, he knew he would've felt the same. Between the monsters and people in the dorm lying to her face, Minato wasn't sure which was worse. Minato noticed the blinking red light of the hidden camera as he entered his room.

Taking a notebook out of his bag and his favorite black pen Minato slowly walked downstairs and sat on the sofa. It was around an hour or so before the Dark Hour. Igor and Margaret had said that he was taking the wrong approach in trying to build his relationships with people so far. Not having the Wild Card as a crutch for what to say was really troubling. It really seemed like that all he could do was to pick out specific relationships that would give him the best chance of changing the result.

But, really where to start? He began jotting his thoughts down. Nyx, according to Metis, had been neither good nor evil. She was merely responding to the call of humans seeking their own utter destruction. Of course, Death had played a major role in becoming Nyx's avatar. Minato was certain that Death resided in Hamuko even now. _Beating Death in his current state was next to impossible_ Minato thought. T_hink of the end before you act…_

Strega was obviously not good for society's chances against Nyx. But Minato had no idea what they had been up to during this early part of the year. The revenge website did not even exist at this point. However, the cult that Jin and Takaya would eventually start was probably one of the biggest problems he would need to take care of.

Minato started twirling his pen absent-mindedly. He started to yawn and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Great job Minato. You're hopeless," he muttered as he dozed off.

* * *

**Mitsuru P.O.V.**

Mitsuru and Yukari were in the control room upstairs. Ikutsuki entered the room.

"Working hard? So, how're they doing?"

"Arisato-chan already went to bed. She's asleep now," Mitsuru said. "Mr. Chairman, do you think she is?"

"Well, let's wait and see for now. But, what about Minato-kun?"

"He's not in his room," Yukari said.

"Where is he then?"

"We aren't really sure. Mitsuru and I saw him enter and leave his room."

"With the curfew in place, I'm sure he is still in the dormitory," Mitsuru added.

"Go find him. Now. We need to find him before the Dark Hour starts!" Ikutsuki said this in a voice different from his usual carefree tone.

"Takeba, you stay here and help the Chairman watch Arisato-chan. I will go find Arisato-kun."

"O-okay, Mitsuru-senpai."

Mitsuru hurried down the stairs. Minato was nowhere in sight on the second or third floors. There was no way that Minato could have known he was under observation. Once she was downstairs she saw him on the sofa. As she got nearer, she could tell that he had fallen asleep.

Mitsuru couldn't help but smile at his appearance with his mouth slightly open. Unsure of whether to wake Minato up right then and there, Mitsuru noticed that there was a notebook near Minato's left arm. Then, the Dark Hour arrived. Mitsuru got closer to Minato unable to see that well, when his arm involuntarily released the notebook and the notebook hit the ground. She could see that there was some writing in black ink that had not completely dried yet.

Mitsuru picked up the notebook and began to read. Nyx, Strega, Death, Metis, and Hamuko? How were these things related? Death was inside of Hamuko? Was this a code?

Unable to figure out what Minato's notes meant, Mitsuru put the notebook back where it originally was and went back to the control room.

"Mitsuru did you find him?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Yes, he is sleeping in the lobby through the Dark Hour. He isn't showing any outward signs, but is definitely experiencing it."

"I see. That is great news. The only question now that remains is if both have the potential. Although, they must have it. Otherwise, the Shadows would have preyed on them by now. In any case we should continue to monitor them for the next few days."

"Yes, sir," Mitsuru said.

* * *

**Hamuko P.O.V.**

Hamuko was zooming through a darkened room. The only thing visible was the checkered black and white tile at the bottom. She saw a door, saw was going too fast, she was going to crash! At the last moment, the door swung open.

Hamuko squinted her eyes and looked around her. It was the first time she had ever been to such a place. The room she was in had velvet carpeting and a door that was visible on either end. The room seemed like an elevator going up a building. There was a clock that kept on whirling endlessly and made Hamuko feel queasy just looking at it. This was definitely a realistic dream because all of her senses seemed to work well.

At the center of the room sat a formally dressed old gentleman with a white handkerchief out of his suit pocket. His huge nose and protruding eyes were the most distinct features on his face.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. Please, have a seat. My name is Igor… and I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place…

Hamuko proceeded to sit in a chair in front of Igor.

Igor conjured a piece of paper out of thin air. Indeed, it was the contract the young boy had given to Hamuko before.

Henceforth, you shall be welcome to the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so… I only ask for one thing in return… that you abide by the terms in the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

"My unique ability?" Hamuko said. "How did I even get here in the first place, Igor?"

"I summoned you from your dreams. You are still sleeping in your bed in the real world. As for your unique ability, you will come to understand it quickly. Your time here is short today, but before you go I would like to meet my assistant." Igor snapped his fingers and Hamuko observed the right door swing open revealing a tall woman wearing an interesting hat.

Her white hair framed her face in a bob with bangs covering her forehead. Her outfit consisted of various shades of blue including knee-high boots, gloves, and a one-piece dress. The dress caught Hamuko's attention because of the unusual design down the middle of concentric circles.

"How do you do. My name is Elizabeth."

Hamuko felt something fall into her pocket.

"The Velvet Key will allow you access to this room," Igor intoned. "The next time you visit the Velvet Room will be of your own free will. Until we meet again."

The Velvet Room disappeared from Hamuko's mind.


	8. Chapter 8: Consternation

**A/N: **And we're back... We are finally on April 9th, the first full moon! There's a bit more P.O.V switching than I would like near the latter half of the chapter, but then again that is how the game flowed. So, it is what it is, aha! I was pretty excited about getting to this point, but executing my writing to match that initial excitement was harder to do… ah, bad Mitsuru pun. I am being pretty liberal with the text, so don't worry about it not matching the in-game text. I am trying to weave it in a bit better so that the story meshes better. I think that's it… we're rolling along. I really appreciate the people who have given multiple reviews. Here's a personal thanks. Next chapter, may be slightly delayed... maybe it will be in 2 weeks? Depends on how bad school gets.

Thanks to rEpose for beta reading.

Inevitable Update 1 Placeholder: Yay, for confidence. Ha, here is the inevitable update. Fused some sentences together for better flow and fixed the part about Minato not actually being in cooking club, but more being a guinea pig there. I got confused, since I am watching both P3P and P3FES videos, at the same time. Thanks for finding places I could improve sillyfudgemonkeys!

Final Update: Added in my beta reader's edits

DeathChaos25: I wouldn't be doing this if I weren't enthusiastic haha. I'm glad it's rubbing off on you and thanks for continuing to read this. Yeah, Minato's best-laid plans seem to fail at one point or another. But then again, I think that's the case for most people. Especially, since he no longer seems to know what everyone wants to hear. Also, partly because it's really hard to keep a large secret, like he has. Things leak out here and there. As for your question, it's a yes to both… but mostly yes to the first one. What I mean is that he will tread along the Hanged Man path for the longest time. It's just a good realization tool for him, in my opinion. The Fool's first journey was one about powering up social links if I may be slightly sarcastic. Hopefully, the Hanged Man's journey is one where he is caught without the Wild Card to guide him in his interactions… and becomes a true path of self-discovery. When he reaches the apex of that path… well that's near the end.

sillyfudgemonkeys: Thanks again, for finding more awkwardness in my previous chapter. I do enjoy making the updates, as soon as I can. Honest! Yeap, plus one for the character portraits, the pebble manga reference, Persona 4 Anime reference, and the cut-scene reference as well. I tried to figure out what Hamuko would do when she met Pharos. On one hand, he appeared out of nowhere and is like a ghost. But her curiosity was at an all-time high at that point and perhaps out of impulse she signed the contract. It always struck me as odd in the game how easily Minato and Hamuko signed their contracts the first time. So many references, yet you keep finding them. Good job! I lose track of them sometimes too. I'm not sold on if and how I want to include Theo. Time will tell. For your theories, Chidori would seem to make sense for Minato to get info on Strega. I need to figure out what to include in the days between… whoops almost a spoiler. I definitely did enjoy The Fool's Tournament, but will veer in a different direction. I am banking on Minato having to have no social links at all. Well, almost none at all. Igor told him in the previous chapter to remember the end result before acting. And it's only natural he will become quite a bit jealous. That's a great idea about Hamuko not existing in Minato's world. I will try to work that in at some point. I think that's all of your questions/theories. Sorry, if I was a bit indirect with some of the responses.

aaronvang69: He will eventually switch Personas. It would be pretty hard to write if he only had Inugami ahaha. Yes, Elizabeth is back, which will probably cause some issues the next time Minato visits the Velvet Room. In his current state, he cannot perform a seal and will not be able to by conventional means. His power is ill-suited for that now since the reversed Hanged Man is the polar opposite of the martyr, save humanity type. Don't worry about Maiko! She will play a role with Minato. It is possible for Minato to be Hamuko's Hanged Man social link.

arkbar22: Minato is a bit clueless at times. He means well, but between wondering what the heck he should do and uncertain about how to respond to people. He was always reserved and laid-back, but was able to make amends easily because he knew what buttons to push with the Wild Card power. Haha, thanks for the input about Ikutsuki and thanks for the luck. I would say at this point, it is impossible for Minato to have his normal powers back since Hamuko has them. That doesn't mean he won't find another way.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Consternation **

**April 9****th**** (Gekkoukan High, Morning)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.**

Hamuko was still muttering to herself about that dream she had last night. She remembered meeting an old man and his female assistant. They had mentioned something about her unique ability, whatever that meant. Hamuko wouldn't have given it much thought, if she hadn't found the Velvet Key in her pocket when she woke up. Regardless, she would figure out the truth about what was going on in the dormitory. The only problem was that she had no idea how to get back to the Velvet Room. Whatever happened to that boy she met the other day, anyways?

Hamuko walked toward the school gates and someone called her over.

"Morning, Hamuko!" a voice cheerily said. It was Junpei.

"Hey, Junpei. How're you today?"

"Pretty tired; I didn't get enough sleep last night." Junpei yawned and didn't even bother to cover his mouth.

"Well, I'm sure you'll make up the difference in class," Hamuko said. "Though, you shouldn't really be sleeping in class Junpei."

"Whaaaat? Why do you have to be all serious? It's okay to take it easy, now and then."

"Except you do it all the time." Hamuko couldn't help smirking at Junpei's expression. "I can't bail you out every time, you know. Let's get to class. I heard Ekoda is crazy about students that are late to his class."

The class settled down, as Hamuko and Junpei took their usual seats.

"Ahem… I'm Mr. Ekoda, I'll be teaching you Classic Literature." Ekoda started to ramble on about how important his class was and complained that no one appreciated the material like he did.

Hamuko wasn't sure what to make of Ekoda, but continued to take notes. He seemed mildly incompetent, as he kept on referring back to his syllabus. It didn't help that his use of clichés bored most of the class to tears. Mercifully, the lecture ended and the bell rung. The classrooms began emptying of students.

"Hey, Hamuko." Yukari waved towards Hamuko from the shoe boxes. "Do you want to go to the mall with me? You haven't been there yet, right?"

"I don't really have much money to spend, Yukari, but I'll go with you anyways."

The two girls arrived at Paulownia Mall. A majestic water fountain stood in the center of the mall where Hamuko could see some children dropping some coins in for good luck.

"There's all sorts of stuff to do here," Yukari said. "A lot of Gekkoukan students come here after school. There's a karaoke box, a CD shop, and a really great café too!"

"What about that store at the far left, Yukari?"

"You mean Club Escapade? That's a nightclub. We aren't old enough for it, yet." Yukari seemed slightly taken aback. "You haven't already been to a nightclub, right?"

"Of course not, Yukari." Hamuko was trying to decide what she wanted to do. "Let's go listen to some music. I want to hear what kind of music you're into."

* * *

**(Iwatodai Dorm, Evening)**

**Minato P.O.V.  
**

Minato saw Hamuko and Yukari signing in their names at the sign-in sheet. He was sitting on the couch opposite of Mitsuru.

"Welcome back," Mitsuru told the two girls. "The moon is beautiful tonight. It might be nice to read a book by moonlight once in a while."

_That is, if you can read a book while fighting a full moon Shadow_, Minato thought darkly.

"Glad to see you two survived Ekoda's sermon today," Minato said.

This produced a reproachful look from Mitsuru.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if he at least knew what he was talking about," Hamuko replied. She grabbed a seat next to Minato while Yukari sat next to Mitsuru.

"Tell me about it," Yukari said. "I think I've had enough classic lit for the entire school year already."

Yukari's stomach gave a low growl after she said this, and her embarrassed expression only exacerbated the situation. Mitsuru gave a soft chuckle.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry. I wish the dorm mother were still here. It'd be great if we still had somebody doing stuff like that for us."

"There was a dorm mother here?" Hamuko responded. "How come we don't have one anymore?"

"Because there were only three students in this dormitory until recently," Mitsuru said. "It wasn't really necessary to have one anymore."

As Yukari went to the kitchen, trying to find something to eat, she replied "I mean, I'm not a good cook, and Mitsuru-senpai just doesn't do things like that. You know, Hamuko, if you're handy around the kitchen, I bet you could really do something with this place!"

Hamuko shook her head.

"Sorry, Yukari. I'm not really a good cook. I mean, I'm not terrible, but I don't want to risk burning the dorm down either." Yukari seemed deflated.

"Looks like instant ramen again," she sighed, pulling a pan out to boil some tap water.

"Do we even go grocery shopping?" Minato asked.

"Not often," Yukari said. "The only thing in the fridge is some mystery meat and potatoes that look spoiled."

It looked like Minato had to come to the rescue.

"It's probably too late to go the supermarket now. So, we'll just have to make do with what we have. Yukari, find me a knife so I can cut off the parts of the spoiled potatoes. Hamuko, take the mystery meat out of the freezer and defrost it."

The girls followed Minato's directions with Mitsuru watching as a curious spectator. Minato was glad that his physical skills were still intact, unlike his social links. He diced the potatoes, meat, and added some instant rice he found in the cupboard. Thanks to the numerous hours he had spent sampling Fuuka's food, Minato was able to produce something half-decent. The smell of the concoction wafted throughout the dorm. Thinking it was probably done, Minato decided to sample a spoonful and found it to his liking.

"Wow that smells good!" Hamuko said. "I had no idea you knew how to cook, Minato." She and Yukari set up the dining table, eagerly awaiting for Minato to finish. Even Akihiko, who had been in his room up to that point, came downstairs wondering what the source of the smell was.

"Did we order take out again?" he said. "It smells pretty good."

"Nope. Minato made it from scratch, senpai," Hamuko replied. "Why don't you grab a seat?"

"Don't mind if I do. Mitsuru, aren't you going to join us?" Akihiko asked.

"Come on, Mitsuru-senpai. We should all eat together!" Hamuko added. Minato thought Hamuko's enthusiasm was very adorable, but caught himself from saying anything.

"Well, if you insist," she replied, taking a seat.

With that, the five members of the dorm enjoyed the food Minato had prepared, and got to know each other a little better. Minato was glad with the results of his impromptu cooking. The only time they had eaten together like this was after the battle against the Hanged Man Shadow. Regardless, Minato knew that they were in for a long night with the full moon.

The table cleaned and the dishes washed, Minato wondered what he should do. Minato's main reason for preparing dinner for everyone was so that Mitsuru and Yukari would go to the control room a little later than usual. There wasn't much time left before Akihiko would go out and presumably meet the first full moon Shadow. Was there any guarantee that everything would occur, just as it had before? What were the consequences in meddling in an event as major as this one? In his room, Minato silently paced back and forth, waiting patiently for Akihiko to leave.

Finally, Minato heard a clicking noise and knew that Akihiko had just locked his door and about to go. It was time. Minato made sure that no one was around and silently walked out of the dorm. He could see Akihiko walking down the sidewalk in the gleam of the moonlight. The Dark Hour arrived and Minato saw Akihiko pull out his evoker from his pocket. Minato did the same with his Arcana card. They had walked a considerable distance from the dorm, when Akihiko began moving cautiously toward a street corner that was mostly deserted, except a few transmogrified coffins.

Minato sensed the Shadow, before he could physically see it. Akihiko was completely unaware of the danger lurking around the corner. Abandoning all judgment, Minato began running at a full sprint and pushed Akihiko out of the way. Minato had thought they had avoided danger, but then he felt a numb pain in his right shoulder. A sword blade had slashed his shoulder. The Magician Shadow appeared in front of them, its arms writhing monstrously with an equal amount of blades.

"What the?" Akihiko stood back up and looked quickly between the Magician Shadow and Minato. "Polydeuces!"

The wild-haired, muscular Persona appeared and tried landing Zio on the Magician Shadow, to no avail.

"Minato, what are you doing here? It's dangerous!" Akihiko yelled. The senior, grunted in pain as Polydeuces took a blow.

"Persona!" Minato summoned Inugami and attempted a Poisma spell that was easily dodged by the Shadow. The two Personas faltered, as they could not match the brute force of the Magician Shadow.

"Senpai, we need to go back. This isn't a Shadow we can handle on our own," Minato quickly said. It was just then, that Akihiko noticed the trail of blood that was coming from Minato's shoulder.

"Crap, I didn't know you were hurt."

"You can save the apologies for later, senpai."

With that, Akihiko and Minato ran as fast as their feet could carry them, back towards the dormitory. The Magician Shadow was in hot pursuit of them, destroying anything along its path.

* * *

**(Control Room, Iwatodai Dormitory, Evening to Dark Hour)**

**Mitsuru P.O.V.  
**

"That meal was quite delicious," Mitsuru remarked as she and Yukari entered the control room.

"Yeah, I hope Minato cooks for us all the time," Yukari said happily.

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Takeba."

The central console showed Hamuko quietly sleeping through the Dark Hour. On the other hand, the camera in Minato's room showed an empty bed.

"Has Arisato-kun said anything about not liking his bedroom?" Mitsuru said.

"Not that I know of, senpai. It seems a bit odd that he hasn't slept in his bed. You don't think that he knows that we're watching him, do you?" Yukari looked a bit ashamed at this prospect.

Before Mitsuru could respond, Ikutsuki entered the room.

"It seems like Minato is not in his room again." Ikutsuki keenly said while looking at the bank of consoles. Mitsuru chose not to respond to this, as she had reasonable suspicion Minato had managed to figure out that there was a secret camera in his room.

"How is Hamuko?" Ikutsuki added.

"The same as last night," Mitsuru replied.

"Very interesting, as she hasn't exhibited any of the normal symptoms." Ikutsuki said in a somber tone. "I think that she definitely has the potential, considering how stable she has been."

"I feel sort of bad though. We're spying on her," Yukari said. "Like, she's a guinea pig."

"We need all the team members we can obtain," Mitsuru responded. "It's not an ideal situation, by any means."

The Chairman seemed more reserved than his usual self and didn't add anything else to the conversation. He seemed lost in thought.

Suddenly, an alarm went off and the console began to ping. The emergency signal was active.

"Command room, is that you Akihiko?" Mitsuru said.

"Mitsuru, there's a huge Shadow chasing us back towards the dorm."

"What? What do you mean by us?" Mitsuru demanded.

"Minato is with me and he's injured. There's no time to explain, we're almost there."

Everyone in the control room exchanged looks of surprise.

"They're bringing that thing, here?!" Yukari exclaimed. Her eyes were wide in panic.

"Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!" Mitsuru knew that she had to take charge of the situation.

"R-Right, be careful," Ikutsuki stammered.

Mitsuru, Yukari, and the Chairman rushed downstairs and then the doors slammed open.

"Arisato-kun!" Mitsuru said alarmingly. She could see that there was a deep gash on his right arm and his face was drained of color. It was difficult to discern the depth of the wound in the poorly lit lobby. The doors closed automatically as the dorm entered lockdown.

"I'm fine, senpai," Minato said unconvincingly. He was breathing hard. Mitsuru couldn't tell whether if it was due to the wound or running back to the dorm.

"It's my fault," Akihiko said, while hanging his head in shame. "I was overconfident and Minato saved me from that thing that was chasing us. It'll be here any moment now."

"Is it one of them, Akihiko?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Yes, but not an ordinary one. It's far stronger than anything we've seen before."

The dorm shook violently. Mitsuru thought that it felt like a minor earthquake. She could hear a loud thud hit the main doors.

"What the?! You've gotta be kidding me!" Yukari said, in a shrill tone. She threw her arms up in the air, maybe expecting the roof to cave in.

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room! Takeba, go upstairs and wake Hamuko up! Then, escape out the back." Mitsuru's voice could be heard above the chaos.

"But, what about you three? Will you be alright?" Yukari asked, in concern.

"We'll stop it here," Mitsuru replied calmly. "Don't worry about us, just focus on escaping safely."

"You want Minato to fight?" Yukari said incredulously.

"I understand your concern, but he is more than capable."

"What're you waiting for, Yukari? Go!" Akihiko yelled, turning to face the front door.

"Okay, okay. I'm going."

"You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm sure you want to fight," Mitsuru chided.

"As if there were any question, Mitsuru. I have to redeem myself for getting Minato hurt back there. Just stay behind us, Minato, and help with what you can."

"Be careful, Arisato-kun," Mitsuru said worriedly. She hoped that he wouldn't have to exert himself too much.

"Thanks, I'll try to do what I can."

* * *

**(Hamuko's Room, Dark Hour)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.  
**

Hamuko was feeling groggy, having just woken up by the noise of multiple people going down the stairs. As she tried to go back to sleep, but she found it impossible. The entire dormitory was shaking for some reason. _Maybe it was an earthquake, _she thought. Just as Hamuko was about to leave her room, Yukari came running up the stairs.

"Good, you're awake. I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here, right now!" Hamuko had never seen Yukari this agitated before and quickly nodded her head.

"We'll leave through the back door." Yukari handed a naginata from a closet at the end of the hallway, to Hamuko, who wondered why there were actual weapons in the dorm.

"Okay, let's keep going!" Yukari shouted. The two girls reached the first floor, at the rear entrance. Hamuko could hear the sounds of battle going on from outside the dorm.

"Who's fighting outside, Yukari? I want to help." Hamuko asked as she gripped her naginata tightly.

"Our senpais and Minato are out there fighting the Shadows. We need to get somewhere safe!"

"What's a Shadow?"

Mitsuru's voice cut off Hamuko's question.

"Takeba, do you read me?!"

"Y-yes, I hear you, senpai!"

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy! The ones we're fighting don't include the one Akihiko was fighting earlier-!"

"Senpai, watch out! It's an Agi spell!" A voice, that sounded like Minato had cut off Mitsuru and Yukari could only hear static.

"What?!" Yukari nearly fumbled the receiver to the ground.

Suddenly, Hamuko heard a loud thumping noise from the rear entrance.

"Let's pull back, Hamuko!"

Yukari and Hamuko ran up the stairs, not daring to look back at what was chasing them. At last, they reached the rooftop and Yukari locked the door behind them.

"We should be safe now," she sighed.

Without warning, Hamuko saw Yukari's face twist in fear, as the moonlight revealed a black arm appear near the edge of the rooftop. Next, another arm with a mask appeared. It was almost as if the mask could see the two girls on the opposite side of the rooftop. The rest of the monster's body was suddenly illuminated in the moonlight, each hand carrying a blade. Hamuko thought it looked like a disgusting spider.

"You gotta be kidding me! It climbed up the wall?!" Yukari said, in shock.

* * *

**(Control Room, Dark Hour)**

**Mitsuru P.O.V.  
**

"There they are! On the rooftop!" Akihiko said. "That's the Shadow that I was talking about!" The Magician Shadow was so large that it filled the entire monitor in the control room.

"That gigantic Shadow… Just what are we dealing with?!" Mitsuru commented, as she worked on Minato's wound, which was worse than when he arrived with Akihiko. Just what had Minato been thinking?

A Shadow had crept up behind Mitsuru and unleashed a fire spell, but Minato had intervened, using his body as a shield. It was a noble and stupid act Mitsuru thought. The thing that nagged Mitsuru was that Minato had not only yelled at her that a Shadow was behind her, but also, seemed to know that she was weak against fire spells. How much did he really know about her? This wasn't the time for her ruminations, however. She needed to focus on healing him the best she could. Like it or not, he had willingly protected both her and Akihiko in the same night. He was lying down in the control room with Mitsuru using Dia on him. It was a slow and tiring process for her because this wasn't her specialty.

Unexpectedly, as if sensing her thoughts Minato reached and gently grabbed Mitsuru's right hand. This shocked Mitsuru so much that she nearly fell out of her chair at the unexpected touch. Ikutsuki and Akihiko were too preoccupied by the Magician Shadow to notice. Minato smiled, and closed his eyes without saying anything.

"I need to go help them!" Akihiko snarled, which broke Mitsuru out of her reverie. She was still trying to understand what had just happened. Mitsuru could see that the Shadow was closing in on the two girls.

"Wait!" Ikutsuki interjected. "Look!"

* * *

**(Rooftop, Dark Hour)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.  
**

"That's the thing that attacked the dorm. We call them Shadows. I-I, have to fight. I can summon mine… no problem," Yukari stammered. She pulled out the same gun that she had nearly pulled on Hamuko and Minato, the night they had first come to the dorm. Yukari pointed the gun directly at her own forehead.

Hamuko could already tell that Yukari struggled with pulling the trigger on the gun. Yukari's hands were shaking uncontrollably. Why would Yukari be trying to commit suicide, all of a sudden?! Even before Hamuko could tell her to stop the Shadow monster clobbered Yukari, sending her flying.

In the process, she dropped her gun on the floor and it slid towards Hamuko. Fear gripped Hamuko as the Shadow turned its attention towards her. The gun on the ground was her only chance, but what was she supposed to do?! She picked it up and pressed it on the right side of her head. Yukari had meant to pull the trigger. Was Hamuko about to shoot herself in the head? There was no time left! The Shadow was nearly upon her!

A voice filled Hamuko's head and she saw the mysterious boy in weird clothing again. He was standing in front of her mind's eye.

"Go on," he said, "Don't be afraid." _Easy for him to say_ Hamuko thought.

Hamuko closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. She pulled the trigger and for an unknown reason whispered, "Persona." Her head tilted to the left, due to the impact of whatever had been in the gun.

Instead of a bullet, sounds of shattering glass filled Hamuko's ears. Around her a distinct blue aura was quickly expanding. It seemed to catch the Shadow by surprise and it temporarily retreated. Behind her, a humanoid figure floated with long brown hair, golden torso, crimson eyes, and a lyre.

"Thou art I, and I am thou. I am Orpheus, master of strings."

There was a strange resonance between Hamuko and Orpheus. Nothing could have prepared Hamuko for what was coming next. A searing headache consumed her and Hamuko fell to her knees, making her wish that she would simply die. Orpheus seemed to experience the same pain and vanished in a sea of bloody gore. An ominous figure carrying eight caskets on its back appeared and let out a guttural roar. Hamuko's screams of agony filled the air and she began to twitch convulsively. Yukari had recovered from her fall and could only watch helplessly as Hamuko suffered.

Hamuko's new Persona lunged for the Shadow and destroyed it without mercy. The air was filled with the pungent odor of the decaying Shadow's corpse. The Persona was gone, as quickly as it came. Hamuko's screams stopped and her body fell limply to the ground. Yukari rushed over to her, but there was no response.

"Wake up! Please, wake up!" Yukari tried in vain to get Hamuko to say something.

Hamuko never heard the rapid footsteps ascending to the rooftop, about to take her to the hospital.

* * *

**(The Velvet Room)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.  
**

"It's so nice to see you again," Igor said. Hamuko was slightly perturbed at how enthusiastic Igor sounded. She barely had time to adjust to her senses before registering the fact that she was back in the Velvet Room. Igor and Elizabeth were looking at her carefully.

"You became unconscious after awakening to your power. I see that it was Orpheus that heeded your call," Igor intoned. "You now wield the power of Persona, which is a manifestation of your psyche."

"So, that was a Persona, Igor? Am I still unconscious in the real world?" Hamuko asked. "I thought you said I would come here of my own free will last time." So, Hamuko had done it. Instead of committing suicide she had summoned a Persona for the first time. Yukari must have tried to summon her Persona. Hamuko felt uneasy that Yukari was that nervous even though she knew the gun wouldn't kill her. Maybe, both girls just needed some practice… shooting themselves in the head.

"Yes, it has only been a short period of time since you summoned Orpheus. Unfortunately, there were some complications with the external stimuli that you experienced. You will not awaken for some time. I thought it was pertinent to summon you again after your ordeal because I was certain you had questions."

Hamuko grabbed the edge of her seat and let out a sigh. It was good that she hadn't been hurt, but annoyed that she wasn't strong enough to withstand summoning a Persona for the first time.

"It is not a question of physical strength that caused you to fall unconscious. When an individual summons a Persona for the first time, they experience significant mental stress." Igor seemed to have a rather disturbing ability to read Hamuko's mind. Though, this did cheer her up a bit.

"When using a Persona, you must channel your inner strength. Currently, your ability to do so is very weak. However, that can change. The ability evolves as you develop your social links… your emotional ties with others. The stronger your social links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Do not forget this!"

The last part caused Hamuko to jump. Then, Hamuko remembered the second Persona she summoned. It was so different from the first one, Orpheus. The second Persona, was full of malice and blood lust.

"Igor, what was the second Persona that appeared out of Orpheus?"

"That I cannot answer for certain. But, remember that a Persona is a mask that will protect you from many hardships. Perhaps, that second mask was in response to dire hardship. Your ability is malleable and will conform, as necessary."

"How come I haven't been able to already establish some social links, Igor?" Hamuko thought she had interacted enough with some people at the dorm already.

"That is because you had not fully awakened to your power until now," Elizabeth explained, to her.

"Our time here is limited. It is in your best interest to rest and return to the Velvet Room when it is the right time. Until then. Farewell."


	9. Chapter 9: Depths of Their Souls

**A/N:** I had a long-winded author's note here until today, but a friend of mine passed away the other day in an auto accident and it just gave me shock and perspective. I'm sorry the chapter took such a while to update, but it has been a bit emotional. Regardless, I am optimistic by nature and hope he is in a better place now. Make sure to give your friends and loved ones a hug, the next time you see them!

On a side note, I will probably push to when Hamuko wakes up after this chapter. This was really challenging, to say the least and I wondered by the end if it was filler…

Inevitable Update Placeholder: Updated with the grammar mistakes I had. I am trying to get better with them, but ahaha. Thanks sillyfudgemonkeys

Final Update: Thanks to rEpose! I added in the edits that I missed.

DeathChaos25: Yeap, I am going through P3P and P3F, so I am picking some things like the cooking aspect of the FemC playthrough. Although, I did tweak it a bit, but the idea should still be the same. The arm thing might become bigger I'm not sure, at this point, to be honest. I am just fiddling with the dial on my ideas to see how things should or shouldn't come together. And the fact that this chapter did really take 2 weeks and some change, ahaha. It's time for Akihiko and Yukari to step up for failing, at least that's probably what should happen. Oh no! I am allergic to heightened expectations. Here's to hoping that my writing improves. Glad you enjoyed the previous chapter.

sillyfudgemonkeys: Wow, two reviews to increase my review total! That was a lot of grammar stuff to sift through, but fix it, I did… bad Yoda reference. Glad you enjoyed the chapter and I'm trying to improve my descriptive wording. I tend to enjoy putting descriptions about atmospheric stuff, but not enough about the action, at least part of the time. I borrowed the dorm mother part from the game, but tried beefing it up. A bunch of Hanged Man references and this chapter will have a return of one of the earlier aspects of it. Glad you laughed a bit. Hoping that this chapter is a bit different from the others. Partly because I raged at it in a good way and because I wanted to try something different.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Depths**

**April 10 (Iwatodai Dorm to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, After the Dark Hour)**

**Akihiko P.O.V.**

It had all happened so fast. Hamuko collapsed after summoning one of the scariest things Akihiko had ever seen. Was that menacing figure really that meek girl's Persona? Mitsuru and Akihiko had rushed to the rooftop to make sure there weren't any remaining Shadows and to check on Hamuko and Yukari. They found Hamuko unresponsive and Mitsuru tried to call the hospital, but the Dark Hour still hadn't ended. The best Akihiko could do was to carry Hamuko downstairs with Yukari wailing in the background. Akihiko set Hamuko down next to Minato, on the sofa closest to the front door. There hadn't been any physical trauma to Hamuko, but that piercing scream earlier was enough for Akihiko to realize that not all injuries could be seen.

In contrast, Minato's wound was an injury Akihiko saw firsthand and made him feel sick. It was a clear reminder to Akihiko, just how reckless he had been going out on these patrols by himself. Mitsuru had told him so many times that fighting Shadows wasn't a game and he had always just shrugged her warnings off. He wouldn't have felt nearly as bad if he was the one that had gotten injured instead of Minato. Through it all, Minato didn't complain about the injury, which made Akihiko wonder what was going on in the blue-haired junior's mind. He was a pretty tough kid, Akihiko had to give him that much.

The electricity in the dorm finally returned with the end of the Dark Hour and Mitsuru who was fiddling with her cellphone managed to call the hospital. Paramedics arrived and carried the two injured teens out on white stretchers and all Akihiko could do was watch. It wasn't a scene that Akihiko would soon forget with the ambulance's siren fading into the night.

Shortly after, Mitsuru, Akihiko, Yukari, and the Chairman rode in the car driven by Mitsuru's chauffeur towards the hospital. The streets were still largely empty, due to the fact that it was still hours before sunrise. When they arrived, at Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Akihiko felt slightly better because of how modern the facilities appeared with the cavernous hallways and gleaming white floors. He wanted Hamuko and Minato to get the best care they could get, and he was sure they would with the fact that the hospital was part of the Kirijo group's portfolio of companies. Furthermore, Mitsuru had made arrangements beforehand so that the other members of the dorm would be able to spend the night, which Akihiko was definitely going to do.

All of the staff members they passed greeted Mitsuru warmly and seemed genuinely respectful, in Akihiko's opinion. Eventually, Mitsuru led everyone to a large waiting area with austere looking furniture placed along the walls, where they took their seats with a few other people who were already there. An attendant asked them if they needed anything and Mitsuru waved them off, and they bowed, before returning to the front desk. After some time had passed, Ikutsuki left on his own to call Mitsuru's father to update him of the situation and other matters. Akihiko tried to stay calm by reading one of the magazines strewn by the nearby table, but the nervous energy coming from Yukari and Mitsuru was palpable. Yukari's constant tapping feet were starting to get on Akihiko's nerves, so he tried to break the ice between the three.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Akihiko asked, wondering out loud. He scratched the back of his head absentmindedly, while trying to not appear too dismayed by the amount of time it was taking for any news of the injured Arisatos. Yukari looked up at Akihiko and gave him an accusatory stare, as if insinuating that he didn't want her classmates to be okay.

"We can only hope so." Mitsuru's curt reply cut off any hostile words Yukari may have been trying to get out. Akihiko could tell by the tone of Mitsuru's response that now wasn't the best time for speculation. Akihiko had known Mitsuru long enough to realize that the scowl on her face wasn't in response to his question, but merely her way of expressing deep concern. Akihiko sighed putting his hands on his chin and thought about what happened so far, growing more pessimistic by the second.

Akihiko had promised himself that he would become stronger, but for what? Maybe stronger to protect those close to him, so that they wouldn't suffer the same fate as Miki did? Did he even know what he wanted in life? His life was nothing but self-remorse because he couldn't save Miki when the orphanage caught fire. Was it his fault that Hamuko had gotten hurt, as well? The atmosphere was suffocating him.

Akihiko tried to flush the negative thoughts from his head and decided that sitting down was just giving him too much time to think. He walked to the vending machine, at the end of the hallway and bought a can of soda hoping that the sugar rush would help take the edge off his guilt. After throwing the Cielo Mist can in the trash, he punched the wall, swearing in frustration. Upon his return, Akihiko noticed that Ikutsuki had still not appeared and Mitsuru informed that he had to leave due to a school board meeting at school in a couple of hours.

After what seemed like an eternity, the white doors to the emergency room creaked open and a doctor came out to greet everyone.

"Doctor, how are they?" Mitsuru quickly asked. Her fists clenched, bracing for the news with her fingernails digging into her palms.

"The girl is fine. She just seems to have an extreme case of exhaustion. We couldn't find anything else wrong with her. All the tests that we have run have returned negative." He showed Mitsuru the chart that he was holding, which she intently read over.

"Didn't you see her face? You're telling us she's only tired?! I don't believe it!" Yukari added, choking back tears.

"Takeba calm down," Mitsuru warned. "He's doing the best he can. And what about Arisato-kun?"

"He's lost a considerable amount of blood and needs a blood transfusion, quickly. The problem is that we were not able to find his medical records on file. We had asked him what blood type he had and we didn't believe that he had an O negative blood type, so we wasted time testing his blood. And I regret to inform you that we do not have any of it in stock at the hospital's blood bank. I have already tried phoning other local area hospitals and blood banks, to no success."

The doctor's explanation brought Akihiko's self-loathing from earlier to the surface and he temporarily lost it.

"Why didn't you believe him when he told you his blood type?!" Akihiko yelled, while grabbing the doctor's collar.

"Akihiko! Stand down!" Mitsuru's voice brought Akihiko back to reality and he released the doctor, muttering an apology in defeat. The doctor fixed his collar and responded to Akihiko's question in a calm manner.

"We had to make sure of his blood type, as he seems hardly cognizant now!"

"Doctor, let me give Arisato-kun my blood," Mitsuru said, while looking rather defiant. "I have the same blood type as he does."

"Mitsuru-sama, are you sure you want to do this? We do not even know how much blood will have to be drawn! You are the heir of the Kirijo group and to give your blood to some commoner-!"

"I don't want to hear it, doctor, as I've already made up my mind," Mitsuru's glare ended the doctor's complaints. "Arisato-kun protected both me and Akihiko from harm today and this is the least I can do."

The weight on Akihiko's shoulders seemed to melt away with the knowledge that Mitsuru had the same O negative blood type as Minato did. It was really a fortunate coincidence that they shared one of the rarest blood types in the world, but Akihiko did worry about the adverse effects on Mitsuru.

"It is a bit ironic that Arisato-kun has the same blood type as me," Mitsuru said to Akihiko and Yukari, while putting on the first smile Akihiko had seen from her all day. "I would've never guessed that we shared something at that level."

Akihiko wondered what Mitsuru was talking about, but began to feel that he would have to uselessly watch on the sidelines, as he watched Mitsuru walk past the emergency room doors. There wasn't much Akihiko could now, but hope for the best.

* * *

**(Hospital Room)**

**Mitsuru P.O.V.  
**

Mitsuru followed the doctor past the door entering a hospital wing with nurses busy chatting to patients and a strong, pungent odor of the cleaning agent used to sanitize the area. Over in the corner, by a window, Mitsuru saw Minato lying on his bed wearing a typical white hospital gown, looking much frailer than Mitsuru had previously seen. He must've been sedated, since he didn't offer any response when Mitsuru walked close to his bed. However, Mitsuru was proven wrong when his eyes temporarily flickered.

"Mitsuru-senpai?" he mumbled, turning his head slightly to try to see her better. Mitsuru could see that his good arm attached to an IV and the constant pulse of the heartbeat monitor reassured her that at least he wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Don't worry, you will be alright. The doctor is going to give you a blood transfusion since you lost a lot of blood."

"But, whose blood?" It seemed to take him a lot of effort to speak and Mitsuru tried to keep her answers shorter.

"Mine. We have the same blood type, Arisato-kun. O negative, correct?"

"Yeah, but why, senpai?" Minato seemed to have a hard time believing what was going on with a slightly bewildered look on his face. Mitsuru took this as a chance to say what she had meant to say from the start.

"Because there is no other choice, and because I want to repay you for earlier," Mitsuru found this last part a lot harder to say than she had wanted it. In fact, she looked away from Minato so that her crimson hair would cover the slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Thank you," was all he said. Yet, the way Minato said those words seemed to speak volumes in Mitsuru's mind.

* * *

**(Gekkoukan High, Morning)**

**Yukari P.O.V.  
**

The whispers in the classroom annoyed Yukari to no end, while she tried to tune them out by taking notes. Some of the whispers were plausible and the others, just outrageous, but they continued to swirl around Yukari like a flock of crows. Since Minato and Hamuko had not shown up on the same day, the rumor mill had begun to churn in earnest. It didn't help that Junpei asked Yukari what was wrong because her eyes were swollen from crying earlier.

"Yuka-tan, what's wrong? Did you have a long night?" Junpei asked with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine, Junpei. Nothing happened last night. I just have bad allergies this time of year." Yukari pulled out a tissue and pretended to blow her nose.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't know. Well, I was wondering if you knew what happened to Hamuko and Minato. They don't really seem the type to skip class." It was an innocent statement, but Yukari pounced on it.

"They're fine, don't ask me such stupid questions!" Yukari's temper was seeping through her earlier façade. People in the class stopped talking and looked around to see the source of the commotion.

"Whoa! Don't be so mad, Yuka-tan. I only asked a question." Junpei retreated behind Kenji, trying to use him as a shield.

"Dude, that's not cool. Go stand behind someone else, man!" Kenji said, while leaving Junpei out in the open. Maybe it was how stupid Junpei and Kenji were, but Yukari's hot head seemed to cool down a bit.

"I-I'm sorry, Junpei. I didn't mean to yell at you. There's just a lot going on right now and you wouldn't really understand." Yukari felt ashamed that she was projecting her pent-up frustrations at Junpei, although it did seem to relieve some of stress that she was feeling now.

Junpei seemed genuinely surprised at how quickly Yukari apologized. However, he seemed to take it in stride and said, "I'm not sure I understand, but we all go through things Yuka-tan. You don't have to hold it in all by yourself, you know? We're friends, right?" That cheesy grin that seemed permanently plastered on Junpei's face reappeared.

"Thanks Junpei." It was weird for the jokester to offer Yukari sympathy, but maybe she was just an emotional wreck. In between the feelings of failure to summon her own Persona and Hamuko getting hospitalized while protecting her. She could really empathize what Akihiko was going through because they were really in the same boat of failing to protect someone. The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. Yukari decided she would visit the florist and then go to the hospital to check up on Hamuko.

* * *

**(Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Afternoon)**

**Yukari P.O.V.  
**

Yukari had picked up a handful of Gerberas from the florist and carried them to the hospital. She entered Hamuko's room and was glad that there was a window nearby providing some light Of course, Hamuko wasn't conscious to see the flowers, but maybe having them nearby would do some good. Yukari had worried about Hamuko feeling lonely all by herself in the hospital. Before she could stop herself, Yukari began to talk in earnest from the depths of her heart.

"I… I want to say that I'm sorry, Hamuko. I was the one there to protect you, yet you were the one that saved me." Yukari had been unable to muster these words until now and felt slightly better. She lifted Hamuko's hand and put it in hers and just sat quietly for a while.

"I know that you can't hear me now, but maybe you can sense my feelings, at least." Yukari's voice was starting to break. "I've always had problems trusting people and we only met each other recently, but we're so similar with our backgrounds and not having parents in our lives."

Yukari was struggling to find the right words to say and tried to warm up the cold hand that she was holding.

"No matter what happens, I'm going to tell you everything that I've kept hidden away from everyone else." Yukari looked determinately at Hamuko's face, as if daring her to refute her vow. When nothing happened, a small smile appeared on Yukari's face because she thought Hamuko looked rather cute with her hair undone. After spending a long time with Hamuko, Yukari decided to go check in on Minato. When she entered his room she didn't expect to see both Mitsuru and Akihiko there, while Minato seemed asleep.

"Hello, Takeba," Mitsuru said, drawing a chair over and motioning Yukari to sit. Yukari noted the dark circles under Mitsuru's eyes and for once she seemed to look human, unlike her usual luminous appearance.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Yukari," Akihiko intoned. "Did you already go and see Hamuko?"

"Huh, how did you know, senpai?" Yukari wanted to know how Akihiko knew what she was up to.

"We figured you would go see her first, once school ended for the day. I mean, I wanted to get to the hospital as soon as class ended, too." Akihiko looked a bit weary of Mitsuru and was looking down at his hands. Maybe something had happened between the two that Yukari wasn't aware of.

"Yes, after class ended. Isn't that right, Akihiko?" Mitsuru's lips barely moved to say this, but the fear from Akihiko was tangible.

"Will he be okay, Mitsuru-senpai? And what about you?" Yukari remembered that Mitsuru had given Minato some of her blood earlier in the day.

"Yes, he will recover. The doctor said that he needed his rest. He should recover in a couple of days. I will be fine, thank you for your concern." Mitsuru sounded exhausted, but Yukari could tell there was some relief behind that weariness.

"Has the doctor said anything about Hamuko?" Yukari added, hoping that she would hear a similar response. Seeing Mitsuru's face harden a bit, Yukari's optimism starting to deteriorate.

"Physically, there isn't anything wrong with her. The doctors have said there isn't anything else they can do. The only thing we can do is wait for her to regain consciousness." Mitsuru looked a bit troubled and Yukari almost felt a twinge of sympathy.

"I'm going to return every day until she wakes up then!" Yukari, said emphatically. "It's only a matter of time right?" Yukari's enthusiasm seemed to catch her two seniors by surprise, but they both nodded their heads.

"Yeah, you're right, Yukari," Akihiko replied, with some pep in his step, as he stood up to leave.

"The two of you should go back to the dormitory and focus on your studies," Mitsuru said, while checking the clock on the wall, which read 6:30 P.M.

"What about you, Mitsuru? You're probably more tired than any of us, at this point." Akihiko put a hand on her shoulder in concern.

"Don't worry about me; I will not stay here for long."

"Well, if you say so, senpai," Yukari replied. "We'll see you back at the dorm then." Akihiko held the door for Yukari and their echoing footsteps indicated that they had left.

* * *

**(Gekkoukan High, Office of the Chairman, Night)**

**Ikutsuki P.O.V.  
**

"That can't be right," Ikutsuki muttered. He had continued to watch the footage of the Magician Shadow's assault on the dormitory by himself, in his school office. The furniture of the room was all leather and the walls adorned with expensive antiques. The man at the desk, seemed possessed by a maniacal energy watching the same footage over and over, as if expecting a different outcome to occur.

"How is that girl, who had not awakened to her Persona ability until now, able to summon another one in its place? Is this a new phenomenon?" Ikutsuki twirled the fountain pen in his hand round and round, occasionally jotting down ideas on his notepad.

He drew multiple circles in a technique called a mind map. Essentially, he was writing down different groups of ideas and categorizing them with multiple branches drawn out, as he went along. For example, he had Shadow in the very central circle and off to the left another circle labeled "Persona users." Next to that circle he had written branches with labels of Akihiko, Mitsuru, Hamuko, and Strega. Under Hamuko's name he had written "Massive Potential" jotting down ideas how he could exploit her ability to bring about the Fall even faster than he could have dreamed of. The way that her Persona had destroyed that Shadow had brought Ikutsuki to the verge of ecstasy. Mitsuru and Akihiko had been worthless pawns compared to the power that this new girl seemed to possess. Ikutsuki just needed to carefully manipulate S.E.E.S. in order to destroy the remaining full moon Shadows. After all, those children were merely the marionettes in Ikutsuki's sadistic play.

Unfortunately, there was an annoying flaw in Ikutsuki's planning and this rubbed the smile off his face. That fool, Minato, was not even worth the effort to have on the team. That boy seemed extremely weak and just threw his body everywhere, instead of properly fighting Shadows. Even his Persona was pathetic, just like him. The only thing that had caught Ikutsuki's interest was how that weakling had managed to summon a Persona without an evoker, but still wondered if he should block the boy from joining S.E.E.S.

_However, it was a bad idea to exclude Minato now because of the bonds that he had formed with the rest of the members,_ Ikutsuki thought. I_t wouldn't hurt to have a guinea pig to act as live bait for a Shadow when the proper time comes. _

He was truly a mastermind, it seemed. He stopped watching the recording of the video and opened a red wine bottle and toasted to himself.

"To myself, the future king of this pathetic world." He choked on the bitter taste and quickly hurried over to pour himself a glass of water.

* * *

**(Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Night)**

**Minato P.O.V.  
**

Minato woke up with a giant headache and felt like he had been hit over the head with a sledgehammer. His arm was in a sling that covered the spot where the Shadow had skewered him. The last thing he could recall was seeing Mitsuru's face, but couldn't really remember why. Minato tried to wiggle his extremities to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, but was instead surprised by a mass of crimson hair next to his beside; it was Mitsuru. What was she doing here by herself at this time of night? The clock on the wall read that it was nearly 9 P.M. _She must've dozed off,_ Minato thought_ as he wondered whether he should dare to try to poke her. _

None of the nurses seemed to have noticed that he was up and about, so Minato wondered if he should get up and explore the hospital. He wondered which room Hamuko was kept under observation, but that plan was quickly axed. Minato realized that he was in a rather revealing hospital gown and it seemed he seemed stuck in bed until someone gave him a change of clothing. After a while, Mitsuru seemed to stir and Minato called her name.

"Mitsuru-senpai, wake up," Minato said, gently prodding her with his hand. She slowly seemed to gather herself and when Minato saw Mitsuru's face he had to stifle a cough. She looked terrible, and Minato couldn't remember a time when she had looked so disheveled.

"Arisato-kun! You're awake!" Mitsuru grabbed him and awkwardly hugged him. She quickly let go and let his head drop a bit too forcefully on the hospital pillow. Minato did not dare say anything because he wanted Mitsuru to say something first, so that he wouldn't say anything stupid that could trigger her volcanic temper. After a while, Mitsuru looked him in the eye, back to her normal self.

"Do not mention this to anyone. However, I am quite relieved to see that you are awake." The rosiness in her cheeks hadn't disappeared, but Minato was a little happier on the inside. Mitsuru's true feelings weren't typically on display so early in the year.

"Why did you hug me though, senpai? Oh, I'm not complaining," when Mitsuru's eyes seemed to throw daggers at him. "Are you that glad to see me?" He was teasing, of course, but wanted to see what Mitsuru would say.

"Don't push your luck, Arisato-kun, as I just had a momentary lapse of judgment," Mitsuru warned him. "Regardless, you can leave in a couple of days."

"Well, that's good news, I guess. How are the others holding up?"

"Akihiko and Yukari are each dealing with their guilt in their own ways. I have already told both that they are not to blame for the injuries you and Arisato-chan suffered…" Mitsuru's voice trailed off, as she seemed lost in thought.

Suddenly, a voice reached out to Minato from the deep recesses of his mind. It was the one that he had heard on the first night back to Tatsumi Port Island.

"Do not forget who I am. One of the twelve has awakened your latent potential. I will be watching."

Minato put a hand on his forehand wondering what this statement meant. Mitsuru noticed the sudden change in his demeanor and the concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong? You seem troubled, Arisato-kun."

"I can't really put it into words, senpai. I can say I don't know all the answers anymore, though."

Minato's cryptic response left Mitsuru in a state of confusion.


	10. Chapter 10: Contradictions

A/N: Well, I feel a lot better now, so no worries. This chapter was a wee bit delayed because I didn't get started on it as fast as I usually do and I needed some time to clear my head. On that note, it's finally chapter 10! I think I am getting into a groove of having chapters have this amount of length, but things can change of course. My writing time seems to somehow get smaller each chapter though aha. Anyhow, I felt that with the previous chapter covering the timeframe in between the Protags passed out that it was time to move along in the end of the chapter, or else the pacing might get stuck in the mud. There are a lot of apologies in this chapter from the characters... mea culpa anyone? I wasn't really aware of it, but then I was like it just sort of happened. I guess I'm an apologist, but it seems like the original story had a lot of things just go over people's heads and made me say I can't believe people didn't say they were sorry. Like, after Minato or Hamuko first summoned their Persona; why didn't the other members say they were sorry for not helping earlier?! Anyhow, I am still trying to improve each chapter and learn from the feedback from you guys. The dates in the Youtube videos still confuse me to no end, but it isn't a big issue. I will follow the FES dates because I am more familiar with them. What else, what else… I think that may be it. Here's to another chapter in this story and thanks for reading! Onward!

Inevitable Update Placeholder 1: Insert smiley face here!

Final Update: This should be up to snuff now. Thanks rEpose for being my beta reader!

sillyfudgemonkeys: Thanks for the continuous reviews and for the awkward stuff check. I am trying to keep all the stuff that hasn't been answered in the back of my head and a listed in the document that I work from. But everything seems like a loose end right now aha! The dorm mother thing was a minor point and I just had an excuse to expand upon it so I did. Yeah, Akihiko sort of realized that his behavior was getting other people in trouble and is not good for the people in the dorm in general. Things are going easy for Mitsuru, but, oh, the conflict that awaits that relationship ;) You'll see Yukari get a bit in this chapter. Yeah, there were a lot of random shout-outs in the previous chapter for some reason. Ikutsuki needs some more screen time! I mean it's really easy to see things in black and white and obviously Ikutsuki is evil, but here's to hoping that I can flesh him out a bit. Not that he would ever be good, but things aren't always so good and evil. And with that, I have no idea what I will do with him... The voice, the Hanged Man card, etc. etc. all linked of course. I think that's all!

ChilledKitsune: Nice to see a review from you, and, yeah, Minato is still really weak. I will be deliberately patient with him getting stronger because the story would be more difficult to craft if he was already uber powerful. That's why Ikutsuki is there; to be irritating.

Yami no Majou077: Thanks for the encouragement, Yami! I tried my best to try and fill the gaps that were in the original story and hopefully it added some value to your reading of it.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Contradictions**

**April 11th, Saturday (Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Morning)**

**Minato P.O.V.**

The morning sun caused Minato to squint his eyes in discomfort, and he tried to turn sideways to avoid the glare, but found it impossible. Between the sunlight and the smell of the hospital ward, it was game over for him in terms of trying to fall back asleep.

"Well, I guess I'll wake up," he muttered, while sitting up in his bed using his good arm for support. Some of the other patients in the ward had already woken up, causing a ruckus for the nurses and doctors on duty.

"Good morning, Minato-kun," a nurse said, bringing over a tray with hospital food. Minato could see that the hospital had a good assortment of food to chow down on. He saw scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles with maple syrup, and orange juice.

"Wow, thank you. Don't mind if I do," Minato replied, but caught himself before he took the first bite. "Uh, am I allowed to eat all of this?"

"Of course, dear." The nurse gave him a quaint smile while chuckling a bit to herself. "Mitsuru was the one who accompanied you after all, and the hospital is under the Kirijo name."

Minato couldn't help but laugh a little, as he recalled how the Kirijo family seemed to own everything on the island.

"I also wanted to tell you that the doctor will be with you in around half an hour. You recovered faster than the initial prognosis indicated."

"Thank you for letting me know," Minato said. This was good news, since he was already tired of being stuck in the hospital all day. It wasn't like he was unconscious like Hamuko and the time would just fly by. The nurse walked away holding his chart information.

Minato used his chopsticks with his left hand the best he could, but it was a frustrating experience. What he wouldn't pay for being ambidextrous right now after he failed to pick up the bacon for the fifth time in a row. After a while, he was finally starting to get a hang of it and did not see the doctor approach.

"Ahem, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we need to fit you for your sling now." The doctor seemed rather impatient today, tapping his foot as he said this.

"Sure, the faster I get out of here the better," Minato responded. He put his tray to the side and a couple of hours later was signing some papers in preparation for being discharged from the hospital. The sling on his right shoulder was quite an annoyance, along with the stitches covered by a large bandage under his clothes. Minato signed his name in handwriting that could easily be mistaken for someone in elementary school.

With that, Minato was free to leave and go back to the dorm. It was too bad that school had started already, since it would be a hassle to catch up with things. At this point, Minato thought that he should check up on Hamuko. It would still be a while before she woke up, but Minato didn't see the harm in going to see how she was.

The receptionist at the front desk was kind enough to tell him what room she was in and Minato leisurely strolled the hospital hallways, the tapping of his heel deafened by all the people moving around him.

"Well, this is it," Minato said, looking at the room number 235E labeled in neat, black letters. Just for the sake of privacy, he gave a gentle knock twice, and when there was no response pulled the door open. Hamuko was in bed, not that Minato had expected anything else. Her room lacked any type of decoration and everything was in a tone of white with the only exception being a bouquet of flowers placed on a side table. Yukari was probably the one that had brought the flowers Minato thought. Hamuko looked frail and, Minato wondered if this was what he had looked like when he had passed out after summoning his Persona the first time. Regardless, Hamuko was a pitiful sight for the eyes, looking rather emaciated, and Minato felt rather empathetic.

Later on Minato still wouldn't be able to recall what triggered it, but what he said to Hamuko at the hospital was probably the most honest stuff he had said to anyone in a long time.

Minato checked the hallway to see if anyone was coming and closed the door behind him. He pulled up a chair and sat with his hands folded together, ruminating over where to start.

"Well, it's sort of good that you can't hear me," Minato began to say. "I guess from the beginning I didn't really know who you were or why you arrived to this island, but with the way things have gone I think it's becoming obvious that you are meant to take my place." He paused deliberately wondering if Hamuko could hear him somehow, but persisted with his pseudo soliloquy. His feelings of guilt bubbled to the surface, as he could not bear the fact that this girl would die for him. What had she done to deserve this fate? Was it his fault that he had returned and not done his duty? He wanted to wash his hands of the matter, but it was not so simple that he could wish Hamuko would be safe and the world would be saved from impending doom.

"Look at you, so weak and fragile. How can someone like you be the one to take my place as the martyr of humanity's sin?" Minato spoke sarcastically, yet his voice was breaking at the same time. "Your feelings of compassion and empathy, what good will they do when you die? Those people who you called your dearest friends will all forget your existence. Would you still be willing to do it then? Isn't that worse than dying?"

Minato paused unable to continue. What the heck was he thinking, saying all of this now?

"I could spew some chivalrous garbage about protecting you no matter what happens, but then I would just be lying," Minato mockingly said. He stood up and without looking back quietly said, "I'm not sure why I'm here, but I know I will do things that you won't like. You'll understand later, and even if you don't, maybe you'll use some of that boundless compassion and empathy to forgive me."

Minato walked out, leaving the door ajar.

* * *

**April 11th, Friday (Outside Gekkoukan)**

**Minato P.O.V.**

Against his better judgment, Minato had decided that he would stop by school to find out the work that he needed to make up. From his previous experience, he knew that Ms. Toriumi did not like students who were absent for long stretches of time. Personally, Minato thought it would be best to catch up with his schoolwork, so that he could rub it in Hamuko's face when she woke up.

Minato arrived at the school gates with his right arm in the sling and some curious stares in his direction, which he ignored. It really was a pain not having the use of his dominant hand and it didn't help how clumsy he was. By the time he arrived class was almost over, so Minato decided to loiter in the hallway outside of his normal classroom. Soon after, the bell rung and there was a mass exodus of students streaming out. Minato spotted Yukari and Junpei leaving together and they walked towards him.

"Oi, its Minato!" Junpei said, exuberantly. "Yuka-tan made it sound like you and Hamuko would be out for days. I guess she was only exaggerating as usual, huh?"

"As if, Junpei. Still it's really good to see that you're on your feet again, Minato," Yukari said, warmly. "I didn't think you would recover so quickly."

"Hey, what happened to your arm, dude?" Junpei had noticed the sling Minato was wearing over his uniform.

Yukari's expression seemed to stiffen at Junpei's inquiry and Minato knew she was nervous about what response he would give to Junpei.

"I just had a freak accident, you know? I slipped and fell where there was some broken glass and lost a lot of blood. Other than that I'm good."

"Whoa, if that happened to me I would've skipped a lot more days of class. Ah well, you snooze, you lose, because here comes Toriumi-san. I'll see you two tomorrow!" Junpei was off with his carefree attitude rubbing off a bit on Minato. Ms. Toriumi had walked out of the classroom, after seeing the three students bantering among themselves.

"Minato, I did not expect to see you today. I heard that you injured yourself, I hope you are feeling better."

"Yes, thank you for asking, Ms. Toriumi," Minato said, suavely. In his head, he had replaced Ms. Toriumi with Maya, but he did not want to cause her any undue stress so early in the year.

"And I thought that manners were lost in your generation," Ms. Toriumi seemed rather flattered and let out a soft giggle. Yukari had a hard time deciding whether she should leave immediately or just spectate the conversation.

"Well, I suppose you are here to discuss the assignments that you missed today," Ms. Toriumi said, regaining her usual demeanor.

"Yes, I hope I didn't miss too much material," Minato replied. Yukari looked like she was going to blanch.

Afterwards, Yukari and Minato walked outside of the school and Yukari said that she was going to the hospital to check up on Hamuko, even though Minato had told her that she was still out cold earlier in the day. It was then that Minato saw a swarm of female students all fawning over the same student. Akihiko seemed unperturbed by the chaos that was threatening to envelop him and called Minato over when he saw him.

"Mitsuru said that you may get out of the hospital today, but what are you doing at school?" Akihiko seemed glad to see him up and about.

"I just wanted to make sure not to fall behind my studies, Akihiko-senpai," Minato shouted so that Akihiko could hear him above the din of the girls surrounding them.

"Well, why don't we go grab a bowl of ramen on the way home, my treat," was his reply.

"Sure, senpai, but what about all these girls?"

"Ooooo, Akihiko-senpai, take us too!" chimed one of the girls in Akihiko's fanclub.

"Who? I don't even know any of their names. Let's go before the rush gets there."

With that, Akihiko and Minato arrived at Hagakure where Akihiko ordered them beef bowls.

"So, how's your shoulder, Minato?" Akihiko said, in between mouthfuls of the delicious ramen.

"I've felt better, but I'll manage. I'll be in a sling for a while though, according to the doctor." Minato was trying his best to use his chopsticks, but resigned himself to using a spoon to collect the noodles.

"That's good news then. I was really worried about how bad your injury was. I know I've already said this, but I'm sorry." Minato thought Akihiko looked a bit comical, since he had said this between mouthfuls and started choking afterwards.

"You don't need to keep apologizing, you know," Minato replied.

After a sip of water, Akihiko asked Minato a peculiar question that he did not really want to hear.

"Hey, I've been wondering, but how did you know that the huge Shadow was where it was? You were tailing me that night, right? So, that means you were behind me the whole time," Akihiko whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening in.

Minato had an inkling to yell, "Check please!" and leave the restaurant. However, he wondered what kind of answer he could cook up this time.

"Well, I've thought about it too, senpai, but I'm not really sure. I mean, it's a bit crazy to think I could sense Shadows right?" Minato tried his best to laugh his statement off, but Akihiko began to look more serious and had that gleam in his eye.

"If you could sense Shadows without even seeing them that would be a great asset in battle. But then again, you didn't even have your Persona out at the time right? So, it must have been a fluke."

Minato quickly agreed with Akihiko, but inside he wondered why he had been able to sense the Magician Shadow so easily. It wasn't like he was Fuuka or even Mitsuru, and as Akihiko said, he had not activated his Persona by then. And of course, Minato never had any knack for sensing Shadows with any of the Personas he previously had. It was really just running around Tartarus and fighting Shadows whether they lurked around the corner, dropped from the ceiling, or any other number of ways.

* * *

**April 15th, Wednesday (After School)**

**Mitsuru P.O.V.**

Mitsuru had waited patiently for the week to pass by and called her father's residence after school had ended. She called him on the way home because she didn't want anyone at the dorm wondering who she was talking to.

"Mitsuru, what did you want to talk about? Keep it brief; I don't have much time to talk," Takeharu Kirijo told his daughter.

Mitsuru knew what she wanted to say, but always found it difficult to talk with her father, especially when they weren't face to face. His strict nature and the fact that he was always busy made it hard for her to really say what was on her mind. Still, she knew that her father loved her and decided that she needed to confront the issue on her mind.

"Father, I wanted to discuss with you about a specific incident in the Kirijo family's past," she said, in a steady tone. Her statement induced silence on the other end of the phone, but she pushed through.

"I know that there was an experiment conducted by the scientists at the time involving young children and their ability to use artificial Persona," Mitsuru added.

"I already realize that you know this, Mitsuru. You had checked classified files around a week ago and I chose not to ask you about it," her father said. "Your grandfather's actions have no bearing on you, yet you are left to clean up his mess. I just wish my daughter had not been dragged into this."

Her father's voice teemed with sadness.

"I still have to know what happened, father. There is someone who shares the same name as one of the children in the experiment, but his file said that he died." Mitsuru vain curiosity made it hard for her to stop talking; she just had to know who Minato Arisato actually was.

"Mitsuru, there were no mistakes in the log file you looked at. If it said that he died, then that's what happened," Takeharu said, bluntly.

"But, are you saying that it's only a coincidence that he looks so similar to the boy in the old photograph?"

"Not all things can easily be understood, Mitsuru. I wouldn't have believed in the Dark Hour and Shadows if I hadn't watched the disaster myself. Regardless, I want you to promise me that you will not continue to dig through the old files. You have enough to worry about as it is."

"Yes, I understand. I apologize that I brought this up to you."

"Don't be; I am always glad to talk to you." Her father hung up and Mitsuru was left to ponder how much she didn't know about the Dark Hour and the people who had their lives changed by it.

* * *

**April 17th, Friday (Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Almost After School)**

**Minato P.O.V.**

Minato knew that this was the day Hamuko was to wake up, but had to pretend that he had no idea what was going to happen. It was almost the end of the school week and Minato had enough of people offering to help him carry his stuff around. It wasn't like he was permanently like this, but the attention he was getting started to annoy him.

Minato had noticed Yukari was stopping by every day to the hospital after school and wondered how in the world he would get some time alone with Hamuko. He wanted the first word with Hamuko just to see if she subconsciously picked up on anything he said and because Minato liked being first in everything. So, it was with this goal in mind that Minato fell violently ill with about an hour left in class. Ms. Toriumi, not wanting to question one of her favorite students in the class allowed him to go to the nurse's office, which Minato took as an opportunity to leave school and head to the hospital before Yukari.

Once he arrived to Hamuko's room he could see that she was still not awake. He waited patiently watching the clock tick by, wondering what Yukari would say to him if she found out about his ruse. With only about 15 minutes left until the end of school, Hamuko started to show signs of consciousness.

* * *

**(Hospital Room)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.**

A blank ceiling began to swim across Hamuko's eyes. It was a bland color that seemed rather murky, but became clearer as her eyes began to focus, along with some awareness of her surroundings. She felt that someone was watching her movements and began trying to sit up from the bed she was in, but a gentle pair of hands reached over and put her back to bed.

"It's about time you woke up, Hamuko," Minato said, with a look on his face that Hamuko wouldn't have believed possible, until now.

"Where am I?" she asked. "What are you doing here, anyways?" Hamuko tried to make sure that she wasn't having another random dream and that she really had woken up.

"You're in a hospital, obviously, Hamuko. You've been unconscious for quite a while and I'm here because I knew you would wake up today, around this time," Minato said, in a rather nonchalant manner while not meeting her eyes.

Minato's reply and reaction to her question seemed a bit off, but Hamuko just let it pass by thinking that he was just here by coincidence.

"Nice joke, I guess. As if you could've known that I would wake up today. But what's with the look on your face? You make it seem like someone died while I was taking a nap." Hamuko was trying to gauge how much time had passed since she had passed out. Looking over at a calendar hung up on the wall, shocked to see that it was Friday, the 17th.

"I don't know, maybe I actually felt a little sorry for you," Minato replied, while adjusting the sling on his injured shoulder.

"When did you get out of the hospital? I'm guessing that sling is for where you got injured. Does it still hurt?" Hamuko didn't like the fact that it seemed like Minato had been back for a while, but she was just waking up now. It made her feel irritated that he had gotten a physical injury and was fine, but she was gone for a week after summoning a Persona.

"I got out on the eleventh, so you're six days late," he chided. "And well, I dunno, why shouldn't it still hurt Hamuko?" Hamuko could tell that he was joking from the sarcastic tone he was taking. For some reason, that tone sounded rather familiar and Hamuko racked her brain wondering why that was the case.

"Anyhow, you're going to have a lot of work to make up for school. Toriumi is crying out for your blood!" he added, cracking a sinister smile. Minato seemed happy about the doom Hamuko faced.

"Noooo! It's too soon for that, Minato!" Hamuko covered her ears, hoping the prospect of an avalanche of homework to make up would go away.

"In all seriousness, I'm glad to see you awake. Yukari will be stopping by soon. I just wanted to greet you first," Minato said, while standing up from his chair.

"Why?" Hamuko replied, hoping he would give an honest answer. She tried to stare him into submission, but he avoided the questions and her tactics.

"Now, Yukari will be here and I don't want to stick around for her sob story." Minato stood up looking rather eager to leave and changing the subject.

"That isn't fair! Why do I have to stay here and listen to a sob story?!" Hamuko tried to get on her feet, but felt a bit dizzy.

"That's why, silly," Minato responded, as he helped her lay back down. "You need to take it easier, Hamuko."

"I'll get you for this, Minato!" Hamuko said, half-heartedly.

"I'm sure you will, but until then make sure to get better." He gave her a small wave and walked out of the room.

* * *

Unfortunately, Minato had been right, and Yukari soon entered her room a couple of minutes after.

"Hamuko!" Yukari said, letting her school belongings get strewn on the floor, while going in for the uncomfortable and awkward hug.

"Yeah, good to see you too, Yukari. If you don't mind…" Hamuko replied, trying not to get choked by the stranglehold Yukari had across her neck.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect to see you awake. I've come here every day after school and there was never any change." Yukari stepped a few feet back and put her hands behind her back, looking like a child who had gotten caught putting their hand in a cookie jar.

"You didn't have to do that you know, but I do appreciate the fact that you did," Hamuko said, giving her a warm smile. "Who knows? Maybe all the attention you were giving me made me wake up faster!"

"Haha, maybe," Yukari said, weakly. "Um, I wanted to talk to you if you don't mind. I know that sounds a bit selfish, after what you've been through."

Oh no, here it comes Hamuko thought. There wasn't really a nice way of avoiding this so Hamuko resigned herself that she would have to listen.

"Sure, Yukari," Hamuko said, in the most cheerful voice she could muster up. "What's up?"

"I wanted to start off by saying that I'm sorry, Hamuko." Yukari looked pretty self-loathing and continued on. "I was so useless back there, yet you were the one to save us both. Your power was so amazing; I was speechless."

"I couldn't really control my power, so I'm not sure I was much better honestly, but thanks, I appreciate it. What were those things anyways? You said they were Shadows, right?"

"I'm surprised you remembered that," Yukari nodded in affirmation. "Yes, those things are called Shadows and it's our job to fight them. The power you used… We called it Persona."

Persona was the word Hamuko had used just before pulling the trigger. She had no idea what had triggered her to say the term, but maybe it was just pure instinct. And what did Yukari mean by it was our job to fight them? Well, at least Hamuko's intuition had been correct, that the people in the dormitory had a secret that they had purposely avoided letting her in on.

"I'm sorry that we didn't tell you earlier, but we'll explain everything once you're out of the hospital. That sounds fair right?" Yukari had that smile plastered on her face again and Hamuko had a hard time not telling her that it looked a bit phony. Regardless, she nodded her head and hoped that was the end of Yukari's story, but had a feeling that the worst had not passed. Yukari stood up and walked a couple of paces away before turning her back towards Hamuko.

She took a deep breath and said, "I, uh…"

"What is it Yukari?"

"I wanted to tell you that… I'm sorta like you," she said.

Hamuko felt a bit let down, as she had expected a bit more of a punch line.

"What do you mean, Yukari?" Hamuko felt she was just repeating the same question over and over.

"My dad died in an accident when I was little, and my mom and I aren't exactly on good terms. You're all alone too right?" Yukari gave Hamuko a furtive look, almost pleading to her that they were alike.

Except, they weren't all that alike in Hamuko's opinion.

"Well, I guess I am alone, but I never knew my real parents," Hamuko replied in a dull tone. "The only couple that truly cared for me adopted me, and both of them died in an incident on this island."

Hamuko did not want to sound unduly harsh, but maybe she didn't like how Yukari was lumping them together as the same. At least Yukari could talk to her mother if she wanted and knew who her father was. Hamuko had never known her real parents, and the people who had saved her from the orphanage had perished. Honestly, she had a hard time feeling that sorry for Yukari. Perhaps Hamuko's facial expression betrayed her, but Yukari seemed hesitant to continue and Hamuko did not encourage her. A silence pervaded the room, which had been so warm and inviting a couple of minutes ago. Finally, Hamuko decided there was no point in dragging out this conversation.

"Look, I'm not angry or anything. It's just a sensitive issue for me, as I'm sure is the same in your case. I'm sorry if I sounded a bit ticked off." Hamuko tried to sound apologetic and forgiving at the same time.

Yukari heaved a sigh and said, "I probably shouldn't have brought this up just after you woke up. I guess we'll talk another time then, Hamuko. Bye." Yukari left without a second glance in Hamuko's direction.

This was all Minato's fault, no doubt about it. But, then again how was Hamuko supposed to react to Yukari wanting to spill her heart out all of a sudden? Hamuko had been honest in thinking that her situation was more morbid than Yukari's ever could be. Maybe that was selfish, maybe it wasn't, but at the end of the day, Hamuko was going to stick with the stuff she believed in.


	11. Chapter 11: Belonging

**A/N: **Hey, sorry for the late chapter. I have been extremely busy and had a lot of random chaos going on. I am really bad at thinking about what Junpei would say and this chapter has a lot of focus on him. I wanted to connect the door to his past from FES to the time when he first joined. I thought it would be a logical sequence. This chapter is more of a setup/foreshadowing for the next chapter. Mini-spoiler possibly, but probably not, haha. I wonder if I should keep these 1 word chapter titles... hmm. I think I've finally settled on the format on the P.O.V. switches for now, so that's a good sign. Hmm, what else, what else? I think that may be it for now. Feel free to drop me a p.m if you have questions or just wanna talk. Anyhow, thanks for all the follows, reviews, and favorites. I'm not someone that gets worked up over the statistics, but it is nice to reach 50+ follows. So kudos to you for following my rambling project! I look forward in continuing the story with your input and advice. Cheers!

Thanks to rEpose in continuing to beta my work and offering great advice.

Inevitable Update Placeholder: Yup, I know it'll be coming...

**DeathChaos25:**Indeed, Minato can already see that some things aren't going exactly to plan and that he is experiencing some new stuff, a la Hamuko. Still, he holds onto his belief partly from stubbornness and partly from the need to be in control. I think people in the story are beginning to suspect that he is a mad genius or a psychic, but only time will tell. Yeah, he should do well on the tests considering he already was top of class before haha. Ah, glad you mentioned the possible social link play between the two. Definitely, there could be a lot of jostling with Minato not being forthcoming and Hamuko being sort of his antithesis if you know what I mean ;) Yeah, it always bugged me that the MC or FeMC would wake up after having the equivalent of a terrible coma and then Yukari is like I'm sorry, but insert wall of text here. More power to Akihiko... maybe. It depends on how bullheaded he wants to be. Glad you caught up with the story again! I'm still contemplating how things will work out... like I said before I know the ending and a lot of the stuff that leads up to it, but we're still not even past April yet, haha. Ah well, I'm sure things will come together with some hard work and a lot of thinking.

**ChilledKitsune:** I think that's the main conflict in Minato's mind. How much does he help Hamuko? If he does help her will it compromise what events occur? As for the leader spot, you'll see next chapter. Yes, that is partly why in previous chapters Minato is able to do some things Hamuko can't (e.g stand up to Mitsuru in dangerous situations) Glad to see another review from you!

**Yami no Majou077:** Glad you liked the fluff! I'm not particularly great at it, but in my opinion stories do need some of it at least. I'm trying my best to get better with the story, so thanks for the encouragement! Hopefully, I can continue to figure out where I can improve upon. Thanks for reviewing again!

**kazikamikaze24: **Minato will get stronger eventually. I am going at a deliberate pace because I am sort of a nut for details, for better or worse. Glad you like the story.

**titanpmedusawitch : **Here's your chapter, haha. Hope you keep on reading the story.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Belonging  
**

**April 18****th****, Saturday (Gekkoukan High Entrance, Early Morning)**

**Hamuko P.O.V.**

The cherry trees that lined the walkway outside of the school gates were in full bloom, with their fuchsia petals swaying gently in the morning light. Hamuko appreciated the fact that they seemed to welcome her, after she had been away from school for a while. It was going to take a while to get used to the hustle and bustle of life at Gekkoukan, but at least it gave Hamuko a sense of normalcy after recent events. A couple of people passing by her gave her a hello and she returned their greetings in earnest. From a distance she could see a baseball cap separate itself from a gaggle of fellow students.

"Hamukooo!" Junpei said, placing an extended emphasis on the end of her name. At least, he seemed genuinely happy to see her.

"Hey, Junpei," she replied, giving him a small hug, which caught him off guard. Junpei fumbled over his feet a bit, as Hamuko let go of him. She could see that he had an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Well, where you have been all this time, Hamuko?" He shifted around a bit, looking around to see if anyone was watching them.

"I was in the hospital, Junpei. Just didn't feel too well."

"You had everyone worried, geez." He gave her a look that bordered on exasperation while adjusting his cap.

"Really? I didn't think people would care much about a new kid missing school for a couple of days," she said, innocently.

"A couple of days? It was like a week. Let me tell you, a lot of people noticed you weren't here, and the rumors were flying everywhere! I guess you're already that popular, huh?" He grinned that silly smile that Hamuko had already come to appreciate.

"Well, I guess. I'll see you later, Junpei." Hamuko briskly walked toward school, leaving a confused Junpei. Of course, Junpei did not know the real reason for Hamuko cutting the conversation off; it was because Yukari had approached them from across the courtyard.

* * *

**Yukari P.O.V.**

Yukari saw Hamuko hurry away to school as she approached and Yukari felt a little hurt on the inside. She had hoped that they would be able to settle their differences from the previous day at the hospital, but it seemed like that wouldn't be the case. Yukari wasn't really in the mood to talk to Junpei, but he had already seen her and she resigned herself to talk to him.

"Hey, Junpei," she said in a sullen tone while craning her neck to see a last glimpse of Hamuko as she entered the school building.

"Yuka-tan! What's with the long face?" Junpei said, rather comically.

"It's nothing, really. Well, you seem to really get along with Hamuko."

"And?" Junpei looked somewhat serious as he gave Yukari a quizzical look with an eyebrow raised.

"I dunno, I just find it hard to talk to her. She just seems so distant," Yukari replied.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same person, Yuka-tan?" Junpei shrugged his shoulders. "Hamuko is really easy to talk to. She always seems open to talk with me about anything."

"I wish she were that open with me," Yukari sighed.

"I mean, you two are both girls, right? I don't even understand women at all and I can get along with Hamuko."

"Geez, Junpei, not all girls get along!" Yukari made her usual face of disbelief when Junpei said something really dumb.

"Well, that's news to me then. Let's get going, we have Japanese history today, ugh."

During the middle of class, Yukari whispered to Hamuko, but Hamuko pretended not to hear and continued to take notes as Mr. Ono was talking about mud huts. Eventually, Hamuko turned around and gave her a blank stare without saying anything and it unnerved Yukari.

"Look, Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today. Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget." Yukari wasn't really sure if Hamuko had heard what she said, as Hamuko didn't acknowledge her at all. This wasn't how Yukari had planned it to turn out. She hoped Hamuko and her could be friends with in S.E.E.S. However, now she could almost feel the apathy with which Hamuko looked in her direction. What had Yukari done wrong, anyhow? _That's why I don't like letting people get close to me, _she thought. Yukari still needed to tell Minato the same thing and hoped she would have an easier time in doing so.

* * *

**(Iwatodai Dorm, Evening) **

**Minato P.O.V.**

There wasn't really any way of getting out of joining S.E.E.S.; not that Minato didn't want to join the group. It was just annoying to go through all of the motions again. Do you know there is a 25th hour during the day? Just hearing Ikutsuki's voice in his head was enough to make Minato want to crawl up the wall. As expected, there was no one on the first floor in the lounge, and Minato wondered if he should just keep them waiting and see what happens. However, Hamuko entered the dorm shortly after and Minato didn't really have much of a choice now.

"Hey, what's up?" Minato asked, looking at her glum expression.

"I don't know, but I bet you know. Don't you?" she replied, slowly walking towards the television and fiddling with the remote.

"Well, they're probably going to give us the guns that will let you summon a Persona," Minato said, nonchalantly using a tone as if describing the weather forecast.

Hamuko seemed to perk up at this and rounded towards Minato's direction.

"You really think so? You mean like the one Yukari is always carrying around?"

"The same one. Just remember that nothing is as it seems."

"Why do you always talk to me in riddles, Minato? Why can't you just tell me straight and not cause my head to want to explode?" Hamuko had gotten close enough to Minato that he could see the individual lashes on her eyelashes, as well as the angry flush coming over her face. She was clearly invading his personal bubble. He took a few steps back, toppling over an ottoman and fell awkwardly into the loveseat.

"Ow, why did you have to invade my personal space like that?"

"I'm sure you liked it!" she said, as she extended a hand to help him get back on his feet.

"Wha-? What makes you think that?" Minato said, brushing himself off a bit.

"But like I said, I want you to tell me what's on your mind, instead of trying to sound all sagely, because honestly you sound like a moron." Hamuko gave him a grin like a Cheshire cat.

"Psh, I am thoroughly offended," Minato replied, crossing his arms and sticking up his nose.

"Seriously, though, I don't want you to treat me like I'm a small child. I don't need some white knight in sterling armor to rescue me from anything. I can take care of myself just fine; I mean, look what I've been through growing up."

_Oh no, she was trying to drag out the past again. Hamuko could truly be manipulative with her words, _Minato thought. Minato breathed a bit easier, as Akihiko had come downstairs to see the source of the ruckus and said, "Hurry up you two, we've been waiting for you guys to come."

"Sorry, senpai," Minato went ahead and started climbing the stairs and could see that Hamuko was visibly pouting. She had won this battle, but not the war. It was a battle of attrition and it didn't help Minato that he had a complex in wanting to save a damsel in distress. The only problem was that he was weak and Hamuko was a lot stronger, which disintegrated the stereotypical image in Minato's mind.

"Ah, there you two are," Ikutsuki said. "The reason that I asked you two here was because I needed to discuss something with the both of you. Please have your seats."

They were back in the old control room lined with notes about the Dark Hour and the bank of consoles with recordings from all the rooms in the dormitory. The room still had its old furniture and the Corinthian columns that were more for decoration than real structural support.

Minato sat as far away as possible of Ikutsuki, sitting next to Yukari on the sofa. Hamuko sat next to Akihiko on the middle ottoman. Minato knew it would be impossible to keep his interest in this conversation, so he resigned himself to make occasional eye contact and nod his head up and down at strategic intervals. That way, he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself and could take a mental break while everyone else was busy getting pumped up with introductions.

"It seems like you two have already been acquainted with Akihiko, correct?" Ikutsuki asked. Minato and Hamuko gave affirmative nods to Ikutsuki who said, "Good, that will make this a lot easier then."

"So, would you believe me if I told you that there were more than 24 hours in a day?" Hamuko didn't seem to know how to respond, but Minato just continued to nod like a rocker at a music concert.

Minato drifted off into his own sea of thoughts and remembered what he had told an incapacitated Hamuko at the hospital. What had really come over him that day, anyhow? Was it somehow related to that voice he continued to hear randomly? There was something about his latent ability being unlocked. It wasn't like he had the power of the Wild Card or Death to draw from. Did he have a third power source? That seemed highly unlikely, but each explanation that he could think of seemed less plausible than the last.

"Minato, are you still with us?" an irritated voice said. Mitsuru's glare brought Minato out of his reverie and he replied that he was.

"If that's the case, then what were we just discussing?" she said, rather icily.

"Uh, Dark Hour, Shadows, S.E.E.S, Persona, whatever," Minato replied, in a bored tone.

Mitsuru seemed a bit taken aback and said, "Well, I suppose I was mistaken that you were not really listening. You have my apologies."

Hamuko and Yukari were having a hard time suppressing their laughter, but quickly stopped when they could see each other. Minato wondered what was going on between those two.

"I suppose the only question left is whether you two will join us or not," Mitsuru continued, while grabbing the briefcases with evokers inside them. Minato noticed the immense amount of peer pressure that the three current members of S.E.E.S. gave Hamuko and himself. Minato wanted Hamuko to make the first move because he didn't want to color her decision with any bias from him.

"Alright, I guess it only makes sense that I join you to beat the Shadows and save the day," she said, cheerily.

"Excellent, and what about you Minato?" Ikutsuki asked and all the eyeballs in the room focused on him.

"Well, I'm not sure. I'm probably the weakest Persona user here, you know? Not really sure how much help I can provide and that's not mentioning that I'm still hurt from the earlier battle."

For some reason, Minato thought he saw a flicker of something malicious appear on Ikutsuki's face, but it was gone as fast as he saw it. "I understand your concern, but we need all the possible help that we can get. We will arrange for you to offer a more supportive role until you feel that you can get back on your feet." Ikutsuki seemed to choose his words rather carefully. Akihiko seemed reassured by Ikutsuki's explanation.

"That sounds fine, I guess. I'll join, for now," Minato replied. This brought a wave of relief from Yukari, Mitsuru, and Akihiko, who seemed extremely happy that they had added two members to their budding group of Persona users. Ikutsuki's happiness seemed more muted for some reason that Minato didn't really understand, but ignored.

* * *

**Hamuko P.O.V.**

At last, Hamuko knew just what was going on in this dormitory. They were fighting those pesky Shadow monsters that seemed to continually show up wherever she went. It only made sense that Hamuko would join S.E.E.S., since they seemed to know a lot more than she did about the Dark Hour. Plus, she would get to continue to live with the same group of people for the rest of the school year. Sure, everyone in the dorm had their faults, but for Hamuko they had started to grow on her.

"Welcome aboard, you guys!" Yukari said, with unabashed enthusiasm.

"I am glad that you two will be on our side," Mitsuru added.

Hamuko's vision suddenly went haywire and a mist enveloped the room in front of her. A hollow voice rang from the depths of her mind and a tarot card revealed itself in front of her. It had a strange little man with a dog at his heels.

"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana. Hamuko had successfully created her first social link and felt an odd surge of energy inside. Igor had mentioned the importance and power of social links and Hamuko was just beginning to understand what this entailed. She wondered how her social links would get stronger and in turn her own strength. None of it really seemed to make any sense, but that was something she was getting used to while going to school here. Her vision returned and Hamuko partly wondered whether she had hallucinated.

Hamuko let out an audible yawn and excused herself from the meeting as she was still tired from just getting out of the hospital recently. As Hamuko changed her clothes to go to sleep she saw that strange boy in jail clothes appearing in front of her again.

"Not you again," she muttered, rubbing her eyes and hoping he wouldn't be there when she looked again.

"That isn't a nice way to greet someone you know, but I wanted to tell you that soon the end will come," he intoned, in that eerie voice of his.

"What the heck is the end?" Hamuko felt grumpy that she couldn't fall back asleep.

"Honestly, I don't really know what it is."

"Well, that's really helpful, thanks," Hamuko snorted.

"Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power, and an unusual power it is."

"Do you mean my Persona powers?"

"A power that makes many forms, yet is bound by none. It may prove to be your salvation in the end."

"What do you mean by that?" The boy was making it sound that the end and her own abilities had similarities somehow.

"Do you remember when we first met? I expect you to honor your commitment. I'll be watching, even if you forget about me. Okay then, I'll be seeing you." The boy quickly disappeared after this without a trace and Hamuko thought that he was a terrible listener or had amnesia. Next time, Hamuko would make sure that he wouldn't dance around her questions and try to grab him, just to see if he really was a ghost or not.

* * *

**April 19****th****, Sunday (Iwatodai Station, Morning)**

**Minato P.O.V.**

There really wasn't anything to do here, except reminisce about old times for Minato. He remembered the suicidal journey Yukari had embarked upon and dragging along both Junpei and himself to the corner where the rough crowd were. It had only been through Shinjiro that they had made it out of the alley that night and Minato wondered if he could find him there now, but remembered that he couldn't even use both arms right now. Minato resigned himself to sit on the bench and just watch the sparrows fritter about fighting for bread crumbs that an old man was throwing about.

_At least, the weather is nice, _Minato thought as he dozed off.

* * *

**(Junpei's House, Evening)**

**Junpei P.O.V.**

"Junpei, you good for nothing son of a bitch! Go steal me some liquor!" A man who was overweight and lethargic stumbled over his own feet. He stunk of stale cooking wine and was a pitiful sight to behold. His soon could only watch in dismay as he continued to throw profanities in his direction. For Junpei, the profanities no longer hurt because he had become numb to them. What pained him was how low his father had gotten.

"I'm not gonna go buy more just so you can get more drunk, Dad," Junpei said, stoically while locking eyes with his father. Maybe all of this wouldn't have happened if his mom were still around, but that was just wishing for someone who was no longer here.

"What did you say?! You talking back to your father?!" His father picked up the wine bottle and hurled it in Junpei's direction. Junpei had anticipated this happening when he saw his father's sleight of hand, but the action was still jarring for him.

"I've had enough! Find me, when you stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Junpei took a quick series of steps and took his jacket from the coat rack.

"You'll crawl back, you ungrateful ingrate. Don't come back without a bottle of liquor." It was probably a bad idea wandering out at this time of night, but Junpei had nowhere else to go. He decided that he would go to Paulownia Mall and hope that some time away from his dad would cool off both of their tempers.

Eventually, Junpei settled to the closest bench to the water fountain at the center of the mall. He threw a coin in and made a simple wish that his father would stop being an alcoholic. _Fat chance that will happen, _Junpei thought. A dog's whine caught his attention, and Junpei saw it came from a white dog with deep red eyes. The color of its eyes made Junpei jump in his shoes a bit because they reminded him of Mitsuru Kirijo's when she was telling off some student at school.

"Hey, pooch, what's your name? Silly question to ask huh?"

The dog barked in reply, as if it knew what Junpei was asking. The dog walked slowly towards him and Junpei wondered if he had seen him somewhere before.

"Heh, sorry, pooch, I don't have any food for ya." Junpei scratched the dog behind his ears and he seemed to enjoy it. Later on, a pair of guys sauntered up to Junpei who he knew somewhat from his previous year.

"Hey, it's Junpei. Why the long face? Did a girl dump you or something?"

"Oh… hey, guys. Shouldn't you be in your dorms, since it's probably past curfew?"

"Oh, we snuck out. When you get to be a junior, you learn the secret exit."

"Still dumb as rocks, huh?" Junpei muttered.

"Anyways, we're going to Escapade, wanna come with? This guy is drowning his sorrow about getting turned down by Yukari Takeba. We're gonna grab some booze and-"

"I think I'll pass," Junpei interrupted.

"Come on, live a little," one of the guys said.

"I said, I'll pass!" Junpei stood up, anger flashing across his face.

"Your loss, then! Let's go drown your sorrows, man."

The two guys left for Escapade and left Junpei to wallow by himself.

"Things never go the way I want them to," Junpei muttered. He let out a sigh and saw that the white dog was looking at him in a sad way. "Aww, come on don't look at me like that, I don't need the pity."

"Man, is my life as bad as it seems right now? I wish I could do something to change the world. Like some awesome skill no one else has. Junpei sighed, and when the dog kept whimpering he laughed a bit, at his own stupidity.

"I'm sure someday… we can make us some real friends that'll listen to us. Not for being like someone else, but just for who we are." The white dog wagged its tail, as if almost affirming the words Junpei had just said. He really needed to find something better to do than talk about his problems with a dog.

Still, it did feel like a weight had fallen off his chest, a bit and he felt an odd sense of determination that wasn't really there before.

After some time passed Junpei figured that he had better go back home, otherwise he might end up with the rough crowd that usually hung out at the mall around this time. He had no idea what time it was, but with the white dog leaving him there was nothing else to keep his attention.

There had been a couple of other people in the vicinity when it happened. The streets became irradiated in green ooze, and Junpei thought this was some kind of bad dream. The coffins that lined as far as he could see made him gulp. Maybe the worst part was how silent it was; and the only things that made noise were his nervous footsteps toward Paulownia Mall, hoping to find anyone else. It didn't help that he had clumsily stepped into the puddles of blood that gave an odor of metallic rust.

It was then that Junpei's keen detective skills came into play. At school, students and teachers alike thought Junpei had next to no ability to keep attention, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It was just that the stuff taught at school just couldn't keep his attention, but when he put his mind to it he could read between the lines quite well. He noticed that on the ground a distinct trail of blood that was different from the other ones he had seen and was still fresh. Slowly following the markings on the ground he hid behind a turnstile at the train station and cupped his ear trying to listen for any kind of noise. Junpei really didn't have to try that hard to hear because he heard a sickening thud and a wail of pain from something that didn't sound human. The wail stabbed through the night like a jagged knife-edge and Junpei felt it in his bones. Would he dare to take a look at what was going on?

"Man, why me?"Junpei muttered, but he decided he would man up and take a look at what was the cause of the commotion.

Someone was brutally beating down a figure that Junpei couldn't really make out. The constant thuds were intermittently filled with a disturbing panting that caused Junpei to cringe. Junpei looked one more time, but couldn't tell who was in the red sweater vest. Junpei's intuition told him he should get out of here and began to move away.

A surprised voice called out to Junpei and said, "Hey, you! Wait up!" Junpei's body seemed to move on its own and he didn't bother to stop. It was almost as if an unnatural spirit had taken control of his body, as he ran toward the convenience store. There were nothing but coffins everywhere here too and Junpei kept trying to pinch himself awake thinking that he had just fallen asleep at the mall.

Eventually, the figure in the red sweater approached Junpei who felt too tired to move, but something was unusual. The hand that reached out to him was of someone who Junpei vaguely knew from listening to the rumors at school.

"Hey, it's okay. You're alright. Let's get you out of here," a kind and even voice said.

"You're Akihiko Sanada?" Junpei had only seen the champion boxer a couple of times and instead had heard more about the exploits of the white-haired senior.

"Yeah, do we know each other by any chance?" Akihiko helped Junpei get on his feet and dusted him off a bit.

"I don't think we've ever met, senpai, but thanks for saving my bacon. I'm Junpei Iori, a junior in class 2-F, but what're you doing out at this time of night, anyways?" Junpei was safe for the moment it seemed.

"Oh, that means you're in the same class with Hamuko, Minato, and Yukari. Perfect, that should make this easier," Akihiko said, with a smile. "You saw me fighting earlier right? What if I told you that you had the power to change the world for the better?"

"For real, senpai?" Junpei was definitely intrigued about changing the world, though a bit confused about what Akihiko was talking about. "Color me intrigued, Akihiko-san."

"Well, if you're interested, you can join our group, S.E.E.S., which helps fight those monster things during this time called the Dark Hour."

"That's a pretty catchy name, and I always wondered what you guys did at your club. There's all sorts of rumors out there, but I had no idea that you guys fight monsters when everyone is asleep." Junpei definitely liked where this was going, but was concerned about the part about having some power to fight these monster things. "Senpai, you said something about power, but I don't really think I have it."

"Don't worry about it, Junpei. Just being active at this hour already proves that you have the potential to survive the Dark Hour. The alternative is having your mind flayed by the Shadows, which are the monsters that cause the Apathy Syndrome." _Akihiko didn't really seem perturbed about how he was framing this issue _,Junpei thought.

"That doesn't sound like much of a choice, so I guess I will join. I'm sure it'll be a blast!" Junpei couldn't help himself at the thought of playing hero.

"That took less convincing than I thought. Go home and pack your things, I'll come with you if we meet any trouble along the way." Akihiko was trying to rub off some of the blood on his boxing gloves absent-mindedly, as he said this. "Then, we'll go back to the dorm and I'll introduce you to everyone."

Things on the up and up for Junpei. He was joining a group that was trying to stop the Apathy Syndrome, he was going to live in the same dorm with some of the hottest at a co-ed dorm, and he would be able to get away from his old man. It would probably do Junpei and his dad a world of good to stay away from each other for a while.

"I'm in, let's go get my stuff, senpai."


End file.
